ISLAMABAD, Sept. 22: Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, remain in Adiala jail despite the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspending their sentences and ordering their release on bail.
The couple was granted bail on Sept. 17 in a case linked to social media posts. The Supreme Court suspended their 17 year sentences and ordered their release against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each, pending a final decision by the Islamabad High Court.
But before they could leave jail, Islamabad police arrested them again in a separate case linked to a protest outside Kohsar police station. An anti-terrorism court later sent them to Adiala jail on judicial remand, reported by the Dawn News.
The latest proceedings have deepened concerns among lawyers and rights groups, who say the rearrest has effectively prevented the Supreme Court’s bail order from being carried out.
On Tuesday, the Islamabad ATC returned the couple’s bail petitions because they did not carry their signed powers of attorney, or vakalatnamas. Their lawyers told the court that jail authorities had failed to facilitate the signing of the documents.
Advocate Zainab Janjua said she had visited Adiala jail and contacted officials but was told that the documents had to be processed through the official procedure. The defence argued that the detained lawyers had a basic right to appoint legal counsel.
The court issued notices to the jail authorities and sought an explanation for their failure to facilitate the signatures. The judge also questioned why the normal procedure had not been followed.
The Islamabad Bar Association has condemned the rearrest, saying it undermined the authority of the Supreme Court and violated fundamental rights and the rule of law. It announced a boycott of court proceedings and demanded the couple’s immediate release, as well as full details of the case used to detain them.
The Balochistan Bar Council also denounced the arrests and described them as an attack on the constitutional rights of lawyers. Other lawyers’ groups have expressed concern over detentions based on so called “unknown” or undisclosed first information reports.
International rights organisations have joined the criticism. Amnesty International called the rearrest a politically motivated attempt to punish the couple for their human rights work and demanded their immediate and unconditional release. Human Rights Watch said the authorities should release both lawyers and drop charges that appeared aimed at punishing peaceful expression and advocacy.
The couple was originally sentenced over posts on social media that prosecutors described as anti-state and false. Rights groups say the case reflects a wider misuse of cybercrime laws to silence criticism and intimidate human rights defenders.
For now, the Supreme Court’s order has brought legal relief but not freedom. Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha remain behind bars, while their lawyers continue to fight what they describe as a serious challenge to judicial authority and the rule of law.
