Islamabad police ‘arrest’ Imaan Mazari, husband

In a significant development, the Islamabad police arrested prominent human rights lawyer Imaan  Hazir  Mazari and her husband on Monday, following their alleged involvement in a case related to government interference. The arrests come almost a week after a heated verbal exchange between  Mazari and a police warden over the removal of security barriers intended for the visiting England cricket team.

According to police reports, a case was registered against Mazari and her husband at the Aabpara police station. The couple is accused of dismantling barriers set up for the security of the cricket team, an action that has drawn legal scrutiny.

The incident gained public attention when Mazari was seen confronting a traffic warden last week while attempting to clear the route leading to the  Pindi Cricket Stadium. Her actions and subsequent arrest have sparked discussions about the intersection of law, rights activism, and public safety in Pakistan.

In a post on X, Shireen Mazari,  Imaan’s mother and a former federal minister, claimed that “state fascism” was in full swing.

“On Friday at the road barrier @ICT_Police swung the steel barrier delib into her assaulting her as videos show & injured her. Who will hold police accountable 4 terrorism?”

The arrest of Imaan comes days after she and her spouse engaged in a scuffle with traffic police following their attempted to remove the road blockades placed for the visiting England team’s traffic protocol.

Later, the Islamabad Police also confirmed arrest of Imaan and her spouse Hadi Ali, saying they were arrested for creating security risk by interfering in the state affairs during visit of an international cricket team.

The English team was in Pakistan for a three-match Test series and the last match was played in Rawalpindi cricket stadium.

The incident occurred at Islamabad Zero Point Interchange in the morning when the teams were being transported to the stadium.

 

Imaan’s husband thrashed policemen, abused them and threatened them with dire consequences, the sources added.

While Imaan claimed that she was in a hurry as she had to reach court, Islamabad police said that the couple had violated the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of state guests and warned of filing a case.

HRCP condemns arrest

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the arrest of Imaan and her husband, saying that both lawyers arrested on “ambiguous” charges.

The HRCP said that Imaan and Hadi are well-known human rights defenders, demanding that they should be released immediately and unconditionally.

“All charges against them should be dropped,” the commission demanded.