ISLAMABAD: Lawyers staged a protest on Monday at the main gate of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the arrest and sentencing of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the controversial social media posts case.

The protest was led by IHC Bar President Syed Wajid Ali Gilani.

Senior lawyer Babar Awan and a large number of advocates from the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC), High Court Bar and District Bar also participated in the protest. They carried banners reading “Justice for Lawyers” and raised slogans against the police.

Addressing the gathering, Awan said that “state and police terrorism” was being carried out against lawyers, adding that such actions were harmful for society.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA), IBC and Islamabad District Bar jointly announced a strike. However, lawyers appeared in the high court only in urgent matters.

Due to the protest, strict security arrangements were made in and around the IHC, with a heavy police contingent deployed and armoured vehicles stationed outside the court premises.

The issue of the strike also came up during the hearing of a civil case before Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar. Advocate Qaiser Abbas Gondal informed the court that the bar had called for a strike due to the arrest of lawyers.

When the chief justice asked which lawyers had been arrested, Gondal replied that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha had been taken into custody. The chief justice then asked whether they were considered lawyers. No reply was given.

CJ Dogar observed that if the bar considered them lawyers, their representatives could convey their position in chambers.

Due to the lawyers’ strike, proceedings in several cases were affected.

In a separate statement, IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Jajja said lawyers were requested not to appear in court as part of the strike. He announced that lawyers would proceed to the district courts in a convoy and later gather again to record their protest.

On Saturday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in the case.

The case pertaining to controversial social media posts stems from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025, at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Islamabad.

The NCCIA complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.