LAHORE: Several Pakistani-origin professors and academics teaching at the universities in the United States and the United Kingdom have called for the withdrawal of charges against lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha and their immediate release from detention.

In a joint statement initiated by Aqil Shah of Georgetown University, the academics expressed concern over, what they described as, the erosion of freedom of expression and the rule of law in Pakistan.

The signatories said the two lawyers had been sentenced to 17 years in prison in January 2026 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) over social media posts critical of alleged rights abuses. They said the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended their sentences and granted them bail on Sept 17, 2026, but police took them into custody within hours in a separate case. The lawyers remain detained, according to the statement.

The academics said Ms Mazari had spoken out against enforced disappearances, represented victims and their families, and publicly challenged the establishment. Mr Chattha, they said, had defended people facing blasphemy charges and represented prisoners on death row.

“Criminal law must not become a weapon for silencing dissent or intimidating lawyers for their advocacy,” the statement said.

The signatories argued that Pakistan, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, was obligated to protect the right to criticise state institutions. They said a 17-year sentence for social media commentary was inconsistent with that obligation, citing the position taken by international legal bodies, including the International Commission of Jurists.

They urged the federal government, judiciary and other state institutions to fulfil Pakistan’s constitutional and international legal obligations and ensure that the two lawyers were not subjected to further arbitrary detention.The signatories included Ayesha Jalal of Tufts University, Ayesha Siddiqa of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Fahd Hamayun of Tufts University, Hasan Javid of the University of the Fraser Valley, Hashim bin Rashid of the University of Pennsylvania, Maria Rashid of the University of Wolverhampton, Raza Rumi of the City University of New York, Reem Khurshid of University College London, Yunus Samad of the University of Bradford and Zoha Waseem of the University of Warwick.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2026