ISLAMABAD (MNN); Former federal minister Shireen Mazari on Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking urgent judicial intervention to allow her to meet her imprisoned daughter, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, and son-in-law Hadi Ali Chatha, who are currently detained at Adiala Jail.
A sessions court had earlier sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a combined 17 years in prison on multiple charges linked to controversial social media posts.
In a constitutional petition filed under Article 199, Mazari, through a team of senior lawyers, contended that jail authorities had completely cut off the detainees from family members and legal counsel without issuing any written order, citing reasons, or providing lawful justification.
According to the petition, the couple was convicted on January 24, 2026, in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and has since remained in continuous judicial custody. Despite repeated requests, Mazari said she has been denied visitation rights and has not been informed about their physical and mental health, medical treatment, or conditions inside the jail.
The plea further stated that Imaan and Hadi have been deprived of confidential access to their lawyers, hampering their ability to file a timely appeal against their convictions. It argued that the complete and indefinite denial of contact amounts to incommunicado detention, in violation of constitutional protections guaranteed under Articles 4, 9, 10-A and 14, which ensure due process, dignity, fair trial and humane treatment.
The petition also referred to the Punjab Prison Rules, 1978, and international standards, including the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, asserting that the state bears an enhanced duty of care toward individuals in custody.
As interim relief, Mazari requested the IHC to issue immediate directions allowing temporary family visits and legal consultations until the final disposal of the petition.
The respondents include the Federation of Pakistan through the interior secretary, the inspector general of police Islamabad, and the superintendent of Adiala Jail. The IHC has yet to fix a date for hearing the petition.
Background of the case
The case over controversial social media posts originated from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency in Islamabad.
The complaint accused Imaan of spreading and promoting narratives allegedly aligned with hostile terrorist groups and banned organisations, while her husband was accused of reposting some of the content.
The FIR alleged that the couple held security forces responsible for missing persons cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against banned outfits, including the Baloch Liberation Army and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Arrest warrants were issued against the couple on November 5, 2025. Later that month, a court-appointed lawyer declined to cross-examine prosecution witnesses, stating he could not ask questions dictated to him. A new lawyer was subsequently appointed by the court.
Following multiple hearings and repeated non-appearances, the court cancelled the couple’s interim bail on January 14 and reissued arrest warrants days later. The arrest orders were later challenged before the IHC.
Separately, the couple also faced a case related to a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee in July 2025, in which the IHC had granted them pre-arrest bail.
In another case, Imaan and Hadi were arrested on January 23 in connection with a scuffle outside the IHC in September 2025 and were remanded to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
