Pakistan court grants protective bail to prominent rights lawyers

A Pakistani court granted on Wednesday protective bail to human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and fellow lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, barring police from arresting them in a six-month-old case after both expressed fears of detention.

Justice Azam Khan of the Islamabad High Court heard their pre-arrest bail petitions and approved protective bail against surety bonds of PKR 10,000 each.

The court directed police not to arrest Mazari and Chattha in the case currently before it.

Advocate Kamran Murtaza, representing the two lawyers, told the court that the first information report was registered in July and that both had continued to appear in various cases without being arrested.

He argued that if authorities intended to act on the old case, they could have done so earlier.

Murtaza said the lawyers feared arrest if they left the court premises, adding that it was the first time a woman had been compelled to spend the night inside a court compound for safety.

He told the court it had a responsibility to ensure no one was taken into custody from its premises.

Murtaza said the lawyers were not enemies of the state and had equal rights to be present in the court building.

He requested protective bail and asked the court to direct police not to arrest the lawyers in any other case unless such matters were formally brought before the court.

Justice Khan said the order was limited to the FIR presently before the high court.

He then approved protective bail for both lawyers and restrained police from arresting them in that case.

Office-bearers of the Islamabad Bar Association and a large number of lawyers were present during the hearing.

Their presence reflected growing concern within the legal community over arrests and legal pressure linked to rights-related and political cases in Pakistan.

A day earlier, the court suspended non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Mazari and Chattha. The court also restored their bail and reinstated their right of defense, which had earlier been withdrawn by a lower court in the capital.

During the hearing, the judge asked whether the accused were present before the court and granted them three days to approach the trial court to complete legal proceedings.

The high court ordered that the arrest warrants would remain suspended during this period.

Mazari and Chattha are facing a criminal case linked to a controversial social media post.

Earlier, a trial court in Islamabad canceled their interim bail and issued non-bailable arrest warrants after they failed to appear.

Challenging those orders, the two moved the Islamabad High Court seeking restoration of bail and suspension of the warrants.

With Tuesday’s ruling, the high court temporarily halted the arrests and reinstated legal protections pending further proceedings.

Mazari, a prominent lawyer known for her activism, and Chattha have been facing multiple legal proceedings in Islamabad since their interim bail was canceled.

The case has drawn attention from legal and human rights circles.

Concerns have been raised about due process, judicial conduct, and the treatment of lawyers during court proceedings.