'Fascism At Its Peak': Pakistani Activist, Husband Arrested On Way To Court

Last Updated:January 23, 2026, 18:59 IST

Mazari-Hazir, 32, a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military, faces multiple charges, though it was unclear if Friday’s arrest was directly linked to these cases.

Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari (R) with her husband and fellow lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha (L), during a court hearing in Islamabad. (AFP photo)

Pakistani police on Friday arrested prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, as they were heading to a court in Islamabad.

The couple was on their way to appear before the Additional District and Sessions Court in a case linked to controversial social media posts, for which arrest warrants had been issued on January 16 by a judge.

Mazari-Hazir, 32, a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military, faces multiple charges, though it was unclear if Friday’s arrest was directly linked to these cases.

Mazari-Hazir’s mother, Dr Shireen Mazari, a former human rights minister under Imran Khan, confirmed the arrest. She said her daughter and son-in-law “have been arrested, put in separate cars, and taken away to unknown locations."

“Fascism at its peak. Emasculated men in power must be so pleased with this achievement!" Mazari said in a post on X.

Videos shared by Mazari showed police vehicles trailing the couple’s car, forcing it to stop, and officers opening the doors. She alleged that police used violence against the lawyers, including breaking the windows of the vehicle, and also manhandled leaders of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA).

The couple had spent two nights at the IHCBA president’s office to avoid arrest. Syed Wajid Ali Shah Gilani, IHCBA president, said authorities had promised that the lawyers would not be detained while attending court, and described the arrest as violent and unlawful. He warned of renewed protests, recalling Pakistan’s 2007 lawyers’ movement.

The IHCBA, Islamabad Bar Association (IBA), and Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) condemned the arrest, announcing strikes in protest.

Case against Mazari-Hazir and husband 

The case against Mazari-Hazir and her husband originates from a complaint filed on 12 August 2025 at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), accusing them of sharing content that allegedly aligned with hostile groups.

They were indicted on 30 October 2025. Separate pre-arrest bail was granted in older cases, but interim relief was repeatedly cancelled by courts.

The Independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan denounced the arrests as a “grave abuse of authority" and called for immediate disclosure of the couple’s whereabouts.

Earlier, Mazari-Hazir had told AFP ahead of the arrest that she expected “grave injustice" and noted that such unlawful incarceration was not new in Pakistan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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