A recent court order from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has barred the police from arresting human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir in any cases registered after August 20, according to her counsel Barrister Salman Akram Raja. The court has also directed the submission of records of all FIRs registered against Mazari throughout the country for review.
In a video posted on social media by journalist Asad Toor, Barrister Raja explained the details of the IHC order, stating that Mazari cannot be arrested in any new cases filed against her since her arrest on August 20. He added that if the current court cannot provide relief, they will seek it from other relevant courts or file for protective bail in the IHC.
Barrister Raja argued before the court that the fundamental rights enshrined in the law and Constitution are applicable to every citizen of the country, regardless of the content of their speech. He emphasized that the Constitution protects the rights of individuals even when their opinions are disliked or deemed inappropriate.
The high court has also ordered to keep Mazari within the jurisdiction of Islamabad and not transfer her in any ongoing case.
Mazari was initially arrested on August 20, along with former lawmaker Ali Wazir, after she reported unidentified individuals breaking into her home on a social media platform. She was re-arrested outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on August 28, hours after being granted bail in a sedition case by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court.
According to the Islamabad police, Mazari was taken into custody in connection with a terrorism case registered at the Bhara Kahu police station. An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad subsequently granted a three-day physical remand.
The case was registered based on a complaint made by a resident of Nai Abadi Bhara Kahu. The complainant stated that a man claiming to be a human rights activist named Kamran Khan had approached him on August 8, expressing his desire to work together to address human rights issues in the area. The complainant alleged that Khan sought his assistance for this cause, according to sources.
Additional reporting by Umer Burney.