ATC orders holding Imaan Mazari at women’s police station until bail hearing tomorrow

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Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir with her mother Shireen Mazari in the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court on August 1, 2023.  — Screengrab from video by author
Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir with her mother Shireen Mazari in the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court on August 1, 2023. — Screengrab from video by author

An Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday issued directives to keep human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir in a women’s police station in the capital city until her bail hearing tomorrow just moments after deciding a two-week judicial remand in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in a terror case.

Imaan and former lawmaker Ali Wazir were arrested on August 20 for alleged sedition, two days after a Pashtun Tahaffuz Move­ment (PTM) public meeting in Islamabad. Videos circulating on social media showed speakers critici­sing the military establis­hment over enfor­ced disappearances.

The next day on Aug 21, an Islamabad ATC had granted police a three-day physical remand of her and Wazir in the sedition case.

On August 28, she received bail in the sedition case, but within hours was re-arrested by the Islamabad police in connection with a freshly filed terror case. The following day, the ATC handed her over to the police on three-day physical remand in the same case.

On the expiry of her physical remand today, she was produced before the court of Judge Abul Hasnaat Muhammad Zulqarnain. Her lawyer Zainab Janjua, public prosecutor Raja Naveed, and her mother Shireen Mazari were also present in court for the terror case.

At the offset of the hearing, the police requested the court to send Imaan on judicial remand to jail, at which Judge Zulqarnain asked about the current status of the case.

He then accepted the police request and sent Imaan on judicial remand to Adiala Jail.

Shortly afterwards, another member of Imaan’s legal team, Qaiser Imam, filed a bail application immediately which was also heard by the same court.

The court issued notices on the bail application to the police, urging them to respond by September 4.

However, Imaan’s counsel, Zainab Janjua, requested the hearing to be held tomorrow on medical grounds. Lawyer Imam informed the court that his client’s health was not good.

The request for the early hearing was subsequently accepted “on the basis of Imaan being a woman”.

The court also passed directives to hold Imaan at a women’s police station in Islamabad until the bail hearing tomorrow. The court also amended the notice to police, asking them to respond by Sep 2.

According to the court order issued later today, the Bhara Kahu police requested that Imaan be sent on a judicial remand as the investigation from her had been completed.

It further ordered that Imaan be presented before the court on September 15, and that the investigation officer submit a report within the stipulated time.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the police had requested an extension in Imaan’s physical remand. The error is regretted.

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