PESHAWAR; The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday granted transit bail to rights activist and lawyer Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case registered against them after a confrontation with the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president.
The case was filed three days earlier under anti-terrorism laws, accusing Mazari, her spouse, and several other lawyers — including PTI-affiliated figures Naeem Panjhuta and Fateullah Barki — of attacking the IHCBA leadership and raising slogans against state institutions. The incident occurred during a protest inside the Islamabad High Court premises against the suspension of Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri from judicial duties.
Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah of the PHC presided over the bail hearing and granted protective bail to the couple, directing them to appear before the relevant court by October 9.
Mazari and Chattha appeared before the court alongside their legal team, comprising Advocates Ataullah Kundi, Jahanzeb Mehsud, and Tariq Afghan. Additional Attorney General Sanaullah represented the IHCBA.
During the proceedings, Justice Shah asked whether the petitioners were lawyers. Their counsel confirmed they were, adding that both wished to appear in court. The judge, in a lighter moment, remarked on their first-time visit to Peshawar, saying, “At least you came to Peshawar on the pretext of this FIR. You people never come to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa otherwise.”
Advocate Kundi argued that Mazari was widely recognized as “the voice of the people of KP and Balochistan” and that she also worked actively as a social worker in Islamabad.
Known for her outspoken criticism of authorities, Mazari has recently taken her concerns to higher judicial bodies. Earlier this month, she filed a complaint against Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar before the IHC’s workplace harassment committee and submitted a reference for misconduct to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). These steps followed a heated courtroom exchange with Justice Dogar, after which she accused him of making “sexist” remarks.
Separately, Mazari and her husband also face charges of alleged anti-state activities on social media, further complicating their legal challenges.
The PHC order now gives the couple temporary relief, allowing them time to present their case before the appropriate court in Islamabad.
