Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali were arrested on Monday, the Islamabad police said.

“Taking legal action, Islamabad police have arrested Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali as per the law and regulations for creating a security risk by interfering in state duties during an international cricket team’s visit,” the police said on X.

Imaan’s mother, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, said that her daughter was arrested in the morning today.

“Imaan Mazari has been arrested this morning. State fascism in full swing,” Shireen said in a post on X.

She claimed that the Islamabad police on Friday had “swung a steel barrier deliberately into her, assaulting her”, referring to a purported video being shared on X.

The former human rights minister alleged that the police action had “injured” her daughter.

A video being shared on social media purportedly shows Imaan and her husband moving road barriers to clear the path for traffic.

Traffic constables and a man in a jacket can be seen moving the barriers back to their original positions to close the road as the lawyers make multiple attempts to remove them.

At one point, the man in the jacket can be seen pushing the barrier towards Imaan who was standing on its other side, causing Ali to react by pushing back the man.

In August last year, Imaan was arrested by the Islamabad police along with former lawmaker Ali Wazir in a sedition case over a speech made at a rally.

After getting bail in that case after over a week, she was re-arrested outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a terrorism case the same day.

She was released from jail on Sept 2, 2023 after an Islamabad anti-terrorism court granted her post-arrest bail.

Arrests condemned

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the couple’s arrest on “vague charges of ‘creating a security risk’.”

“Both are committed, well-respected human rights defenders, whose arbitrary arrest is symptomatic of the rapidly shrinking space for activists in Pakistan. Ms Mazari-Hazir and Mr Ali must be released immediately and unconditionally and all charges against them dropped,” the group said in a post on X.

Former PTI MPA Taimur Saleem Jhagra condemned Imaan and Ali’s arrest, calling for their immediate release.

“People like Imaan, regardless of their criticism of my party, are the strongest voices for the oppressed in society. Their courage needs to be recognised and celebrated,” he said in a post on X.

“The struggle for a society where the law is not at someone’s discretion, is only going to be winnable when all those when all those voices who actually care about a just society and the end of this police state, join forces for a principle. That time is now.”

Veteran journalist Hamid Mir called the couple’s arrest “unacceptable”, saying in a post on X that their arrest “may satisfy the egos of some powerful people but it will give very bad name not only to [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] but to the whole state of Pakistan”.

Meanwhile, Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch said she was “deeply troubled” to learn of the arrest of Ali and Imaan, who she said was representing her in a case pertaining to a travel ban placed on her earlier this month.

“I firmly believe Imaan has been targeted because of her work, particularly her fight against enforced disappearances in court. Imaan has faced continuous harassment and arrests due to her role as a lawyer.

“I stand in solidarity with Imaan, her family, and the legal community during these challenging times, as we see a complete disregard for the rule of law in this country,” the Baloch human rights activist said in a post on X.

Government spokesperson for legal affairs Barrister Aqeel Malik also strongly condemned the arrest while speaking in an interview on Geo News show ‘Capital Talk’.

“This is an upsetting incident and I condemn it. I am a lawyer first and a politician second. This incident requires introspection because we need to get rid of VIP culture, such as getting rid of roadblocks.

“I understand there are security concerns, but this should not happen. I stand with her and I outrightly condemn this in the highest form … It is my position that this is inherently wrong and I will bring this up at all forums and say wherever I get the chance, even to the government, that this should not happen.”