Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha granted bail in road blockade, scuffle case

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday approved the bail pleas of lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case registered over blocking a road and scuffling with police.

On October 29, the ATC sentenced the couple to 10 years in prison each in a case concerning allegations that they obstructed the security route of an international cricket team in Islamabad in October 2024. The court also imposed fines and awarded additional sentences on separate charges of obstructing and assaulting government servants, with all terms to run concurrently.

ATC Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the case, during which police presented the case record before the court. Addressing the judge, defence counsel Raja Ali Azad said the record had been submitted.

“Sir, the record has arrived today,” the lawyer told the court.

The judge remarked that he would have questioned the police if the record had not been produced that day.

“Had the record not arrived today, I would have asked them,” Judge Zulqarnain said. The judge then asked whether the parties had anything further to submit before announcing the decision.

“You people have anything to say? All right, leave it,” he remarked before approving the bail pleas.

The case was registered at Aabpara police station on October 25, 2024, after the couple were accused of removing security barriers and inciting the public. They denied the charges, maintaining that the road closure was unlawful because police lacked a magistrate’s order. They said they had been travelling to the anti-terrorism court and had waited before seeking permission to proceed. Both also alleged that police used violence against them, citing medical records in support of their claims.

The trial was held at Adiala Jail, where the court appointed state counsel after the couple’s legal team declined to cross-examine prosecution witnesses. Seven prosecution witnesses were presented. The defendants also raised concerns about their access to legal representation and the fairness of proceedings.

Separately, Mazari and Chattha were arrested on January 23 in a case concerning social media posts that prosecutors described as anti-state. A sessions court sentenced them to 17 years each under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. The Supreme Court suspended those sentences on September 17, but police re-arrested them the same day in the security breach case. Their family said it planned to challenge the October 29 convictions before the Supreme Court.

The latest bail approval concerns a separate case registered over allegations of blocking a road and scuffling with police. The Islamabad anti-terrorism court granted them bail against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each.The judge also said he would look into the matter concerning the show-cause notice issued to police.