Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain on Tuesday granted police custody of lawyers Imaan Mazari and Abdul Hadi for three days in an anti-terrorism case filed over their alleged assault of police officials.
Mazari and her husband Hadi, both human rights lawyers, were arrested on Monday for arrested for allegedly assaulting security officials deployed to ensure security for the England Cricket Team currently visiting Pakistan. The First Information Report (FIR) registered against them accuses them of offenses under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act; and sections 503 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 353 (relating to assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 186 (relating to obstructing public servant), 148 (relating to rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (relating to unlawful assembly) and 120-B (relating to premeditated offence) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
In the court order authored by Judge Zulqarnain, he notes the police had requested a grant of 30 days’ physical custody for investigation and recovery from accused Ali. “The request for 30 days physical custody appears to be extensive, however, 3 days physical custody of accused persons Abdul Hadi and Imaan Zainab Hazir is hereby granted,” it said, adding they would be produced in court again on Nov. 1 (Friday).
“The case should not be filed against me but rather the cop who beat me [on Friday] and my medical report proves this torture,” said Imaan while being escorted to the prison van from court.
On Friday, the duo had attempted to forcibly remove a road barricade erected to suspend traffic while the England Cricket Team was traveling to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from their hotel in Islamabad. Videos of their clash with security officials went viral on social media, with critics censuring them for hampering the work of law enforcement officials and supporters slamming the government for blocking roads on “minor” pretexts.
The video shows Mazari and a security official arguing as she attempted to drag away a barricade and he attempted to secure it back in position. At one point, Mazari is pushed back as the barricade is pushed back while she is standing on its opposite side. Following the incident, Hadi sought to clarify the situation, explaining in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, that the altercation stemmed from the police miscommunicating how much time the roads would remain blocked.
“We requested the police that its 8:40 [a.m.] now and we have to reach court by 9 a.m. as our cases are fixed for today,” he wrote. “They told us they will open the road in the next 4-5 minutes. We waited for 10 minutes after which when we tried to make our way through the guy in front instead of pulling the barrier toward him, pushed it to hit Imaan,” he claimed, adding that seeing his family “assaulted,” he had responded to protect her and faced no remorse over his actions.
He lamented that it had become “routine” in Islamabad for authorities to barricade roads on various pretexts, adding security should not come at the expense of citizens’ basic right to movement. “If Pakistan is not capable of hosting SCOs and cricket matches without paralyzing the city, then maybe stop giving this false impression to the world?” he added.
The arrest of both Mazari and Hadi has attracted condemnations from various rights bodies and individuals, including Mazari’s mother, former minister Shireen Mazari. Their supporters are calling for their immediate release and linking the arrest to their work in securing the recovery of missing persons.