I HAVE a confession to make. I was far from a kid when the Harry Potter books came out and I inhaled them after being introduced to them. I didn’t just read them but also noted the publication dates and was among those who would pick up the latest copy on the eve of its release. And then re-read them.

That was, however, quite a few years ago; I haven’t returned to the series in a while. But once a fan and all that… A sprinkling of the wizarding world vocabulary still pops up here and there in everyday conversation. And sometimes more.

The Potter series, for those who may not be familiar with the story, is about the boy wizard who defeats Voldemort, another older and more proficient wizard, over seven books.

The reason the two become protagonists dates back to Harry’s birth. He is still a baby when Voldemort attacks him but survives; Voldemort fears the baby is destined to cause his (Volde­mort’s) death. This is where the story begins.

No one really believes that the conviction of Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha is fair.

Later, Harry wonders why Voldemort zeroes in on him. The explanation he is provided is that regardless of whether he was the one who could have killed Voldemort, once the latter attacked Harry, the baby, the elder wizard (popularly known as ‘he-who-must-not-be-named’) marked him as his equal and his foe. And thus destiny was made.

For some reason, it is this part of the story that has been in mind this week as I came across post after post on Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha’s incarceration. The married couple are human rights activists and lawyers who have been sentenced to 17 years in prison for tweets! That is it. Some tweets.

This past week marked 100 days of their imprisonment. And so far, these new and improved courts gifted to us by this PML-N-PPP government have not heard their appeal for bail. In the meantime, all those who used to count on Imaan and Hadi for legal assistance are perhaps left all alone, already abandoned by this state. And many did. From the victims of the blasphemy gang to the families whose relatives disappeared to journalists picked up, these two lawyers were the first choice.

Outside of those in power, no one really believes that the conviction is either fair or just. But in this day and age, few have the strength to say this. Most would prefer to simply ignore the issue or express some horror and change the topic. But then, none of that comes as a surprise.

Others still shrug their shoulders and point to other such travesties of justice or simply refer to the past. It is true, we live in terrible times where no one is spared. Consider Yasmin Rashid in Lahore, who is in her 70s and a cancer survivor; she has been behind bars for longer than Imran Khan. And her sin is basically her political views. There is also Ali Wazir, who has been imprisoned more or less since 2018; so much so that he wasn’t even allowed his right to attend parliament after having won an election. Neither the PTI speaker nor the PDM one was willing to ensure Wazir enjoyed his parliamentary rights.

One could argue that Imaan and Hadi are younger and healthier than Yasmin Rashid and have been incarcerated for a shorter period than many political prisoners and ask why so much attention is being paid to them. But I digress, for by now, readers may be wondering what Imaan and Hadi’s link with Harry Potter is. I sometimes wonder if those who cannot be named have not marked Imaan as an equal by targeting her.

Don’t get me wrong. She is exceptional. I say this as someone who admires her greatly. For someone so young and still inexperienced in some ways, her sheer courage and empathy did make her stand out. She wasn’t afraid to even take on her mother, Shireen Mazari, when the latter was a federal cabinet minister. This is not easy in our society where children barely have the space to disagree in private, let alone publicly. Neither was she less courageous when it came to support for those facing state violence be it the Baloch or the Pakhtun. But most of all, her empathy for the vulnerable was inspiring. The last time I met her was when the Baloch protesters were in town. She and Hadi had taken the protesters’ children out for a meal and a drive. Most of the rest who showed up to express solidarity chatted with the women and perhaps helped them out with food and so on. But few turned up there nearly every day or even thought of entertaining the children who had no choice but to play on concrete as their mothers sat waiting. And this is what Imaan and Hadi did — regularly.

And this is why many of us thought that Imaan would eventually become one of the big names, the heroes this country has and will continue to produce. A role model for women and for human rights activists. After all, because of her youth, she had a long journey ahead of her.

But I was wrong. Little did I know that some unnamed people would decide to turn her into a heavyweight overnight. By throwing her into prison, they have simply acknowledged her as an equal, someone they fear. After all, isn’t this what is happening with the likes of Imran Khan or Mahrang Baloch. They are imprisoned because at some level their presence outside is deemed a threat. And now how can Pakistan or the world view Imaan and Hadi any differently when you’ve have been marked by the powerful?

The writer is a journalist.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2026