An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday ordered the arrest of lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatha, “within 24 hours”.
Mazari and Chatha have been facing legal proceedings in a case filed on 12 August 2025 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, alleging that Mazari had posted content on her X account from 2021 to April 2025 “targeting important state institutions” under sections relating to “cyber terrorism”, “hate speech” and “false and fake information”.
During Friday’s hearing, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka issued strict orders to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Islamabad, Jawad Tariq, to arrest Mazari and her husband within 24 hours.
“Take them from Pakistan, India or Afghanistan. You have 24 hours. I don’t know whether they are at sea or in the sky. Wherever they are, arrest Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha within 24 hours, otherwise contempt of court proceedings will be initiated,” the judge remarked.
Reacting to the decision, Mazari said it was “absolutely clear” that from the very beginning, the sole purpose of the case had been to send her to jail.
She said this was the same attitude previously shown by the trial court, when proceedings were conducted in her absence and she was denied the right to cross-examine witnesses.
Mazari added that once again, not only had her rights to cross-examination and defence been taken away, but the court had also ordered that she be presented only through video link. According to her, the purpose was clear: no physical presence in court, no cross-examination, and no real right to defence.
Human rights organisations, Baloch political circles and families of missing persons from Balochistan have expressed serious concern over the ongoing trial against Mazari.
They say she is being targeted for speaking out against state repression in Balochistan.
Families of the disappeared said that in Pakistan, anyone who speaks about Baloch rights, minority rights or the rule of the constitution and law is labelled a traitor.
According to them, this is not new but part of a long history in which powerful forces in Pakistan have branded honest and brave people as traitors. Today, they said, by the same logic, a large section of the population is being declared traitors in the eyes of a few powerful individuals.
The families said they stand shoulder to shoulder with Imaan Mazari and will not remain silent.
They appealed to the international community and international human rights organisations to put pressure on Pakistan to stop what they described as the harassment of Mazari and other peaceful human rights activists.
Last month, detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Dr Mahrang Baloch also expressed solidarity with Mazari and Chatha in a letter from prison, saying she stood with them in the struggle for justice, human rights and the dignity of every human being.
She said that for many years, Mazari and Chatha had stood in the front ranks of human rights advocacy, amplifying marginalised voices and raising their voices against all forms of injustice and oppression.
According to her, the “fabricated case” against them exposes what she described as the state’s repressive tactics and shows how easily the justice system is used against those who defend basic human rights.
Amnesty International Condemns Arrest Order
Amnesty International condemned the cancellation of bail and the order to arrest Mazari and Chatha, calling the case a “baseless trial” and a “blatant abuse of the justice system”.
Responding to the court’s decision, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said: “This baseless trial of Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatha is a blatant abuse of the justice system. Pakistani authorities must end the judicial harassment and coercive tactics used to silence dissent and intimidate those who defend human rights.”
He said the “cyber terrorism” and other charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act were “politically motivated” and amounted to criminalising the right to freedom of expression.
He added that the process had been “riddled with glaring violations of the right to fair trial”, including denying the accused the right to attend proceedings and challenge evidence.
“The charges have been brought against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights and carrying out their professional duties,” Pant said. “Authorities must immediately drop all charges against them and rescind the orders for their arrest.”