Judge rebukes police official over missing record in Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali bail hearing

An Islamabad anti-terrorism court on Monday threatened to arrest a senior police official after questioning him over the absence of a case record and investigating officer at the bail hearing of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha.

Why did the judge threaten to arrest the police official?

Judge Abu Al-Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain summoned Deputy Superintendent of Police (Legal) Naeem Yousaf to explain why the investigating officer had not attended and the case record had not been produced.

The court expressed strong displeasure at the failure to comply with its directions and warned that Yousaf could be arrested if he did not provide accurate information.

What happened in court during the Imaan Mazari bail hearing?

Yousaf appeared before the judge and said the investigating officer was in Gilgit-Baltistan and could not be contacted because his phone was switched off. The explanation did little to ease the judge's concerns.

At one point, the judge ordered handcuffs to be brought into the courtroom and directed security officials not to allow the DSP to leave. Court staff at the gate were also told to prevent him from leaving the premises.

The judge further directed officials to speak in Urdu during the proceedings rather than English. He rejected a printed copy of a document that had been received through WhatsApp and ordered the original to be produced before the court.

What did the court decide on the bail petitions?

The confrontation took place during proceedings on bail petitions filed by Mazari and Hadi Ali, who remain in custody despite the Supreme Court having granted them bail in an earlier case and ordered their release.

The anti-terrorism court did not rule on the petitions on Monday. Instead, it said the prosecution should first be given an opportunity to present its arguments and adjourned the hearing until Oct. 13.

In its written order, the court said no one should be condemned unheard and that the prosecution should therefore be allowed to make its case before the bail applications were decided. Defence lawyer Riasat Ali criticised the proceedings, saying, "Look at the mala fide; the courts have been made a joke."

Why are Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali still in custody?

The lawyers' continued detention follows a Supreme Court order on Sept. 17 that suspended their cybercrime sentences pending appeals before the Islamabad High Court.

A two-judge Supreme Court bench also granted them bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each. The Supreme Court intervened after the Islamabad High Court repeatedly delayed decisions on their applications seeking suspension of their sentences.

Mazari and Hadi Ali were sentenced to 17 years in prison in January. Islamabad police rearrested them outside Adiala Jail shortly after the Supreme Court ordered their release.

The new case relates to allegations arising from a protest in March 2025, during which the lawyers were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and obstructing roads. Their defence team has criticised the successive cases against them, while international human rights experts have also raised concerns over what they describe as repeated legal proceedings against the lawyers.