- Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari granted 3-day physical remand in a terror case .
- Additional District and Sessions Judge approved the prosecutor’s plea for remand.
- Mazari’s arrest followed her release on bail in a separate sedition case.
In a recent development, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) situated in Islamabad has approved a three-day physical remand for human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari in connection with a terror case. The case had been registered against her at Barakahu Police Station in the federal capital.
The decision followed a plea presented by prosecutor Raja Naveed, which was granted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Abual Hasnat, requesting the physical remand of the rights activist.
The court’s decision had been preceded by a period of deliberation, during which arguments were put forth by both the prosecutor and Mazari’s legal counsel. Earlier, Imaan Mazari had been taken into custody in relation to a fresh terror case outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
This event occurred shortly after an ATC court had approved bails for Mazari and Ali Wazir, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), in a sedition case pertaining to their alleged controversial speech against state institutions.
The legal counsel representing Imaan Mazari had expressed that they had not been informed by the police regarding the specific case for which she was being arrested. Before the decision for her remand was finalized, the judge had permitted Mazari to meet her mother, Shireen Mazari, within the courtroom.
During the court proceedings, the prosecutor emphasized that the police sought Imaan Mazari’s remand at this stage since the trial had not yet commenced. He stated that the collection of evidence against her was the current priority. Meanwhile, Imaan Mazari’s lawyer, Zainab Janjua, opposed the police’s request for her client’s remand.
Janjua contended that it wasn’t necessary for a suspect to be held in custody during the type of investigation the police were aiming to conduct. She cited a Supreme Court ruling that highlighted the non-mandatory nature of arrest in every case. Janjua further underscored that Imaan Mazari, being a lawyer herself, had no intentions of evading the legal proceedings. She characterized the inclusion of her client in the terror case as an act of victimization.
In the recent developments in the case of human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari involve the approval of a three-day physical remand by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad. The court’s decision was based on the prosecutor’s plea and marked by arguments from both sides. The arrest followed a separate event wherein Mazari had been granted bail in a sedition case.
During the court proceedings, the defense lawyer stressed that Mazari’s custody was unnecessary for the ongoing investigation. The case has generated discussions surrounding the legal processes and treatment of suspects in such circumstances.