Islamabad, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were re-arrested and sent to judicial custody by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court, just hours after the Supreme Court granted them bail in a controversial social media posts case, local media reported on Friday.
The couple were re-arrested after a Supreme Court division bench on Thursday suspended their sentences in the case.
According to The Express Tribune, the Supreme Court bench questioned the conduct of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), observing that it was unusual for the high court to refer to an earlier May 12 order of the apex court without acting on it.
Mazari-Hazir and Chattha were initially arrested on January 23, after which an anti-terrorism court (ATC) remanded them to 14 days in judicial custody. The following day, a District and Sessions Court sentenced both lawyers to 17 years in prison and imposed a fine of PKR 36 million each on multiple charges linked to their social media posts.
The two subsequently challenged their convictions before the IHC and sought suspension of their sentences. As the matter remained pending before the high court, they approached the Supreme Court seeking relief.
On May 12, the Supreme Court directed the IHC to decide their applications seeking suspension of their sentences. However, according to the report, the IHC had not ruled on the applications even after four months.
Meanwhile, concerns have also been raised over Mazari-Hazir’s health while in prison.
On August 25, the Human Rights Council of Pakistan (HRC-Pakistan) expressed concern over her reported deteriorating health and what it described as inadequate medical facilities inside the prison.
Her family had earlier said that Mazari-Hazir had been suffering from a chest infection for about a week. They claimed a blood test showed an elevated white blood cell count, indicating an infection, and said that authorities had not conducted a chest X-ray despite its reported need to determine the cause and rule out serious conditions, including tuberculosis.
The HRC-Pakistan also raised concerns about conditions in the women’s section of Adiala Jail, alleging that inmates diagnosed with infectious diseases were not being isolated and were mixing with other prisoners and children.
The rights organisation called on authorities to provide immediate medical treatment to Mazari-Hazir and other women prisoners, stressing that imprisonment does not remove a person’s right to healthcare.
It demanded an immediate chest X-ray and comprehensive medical assessment for Mazari-Hazir, with transfer to a suitable hospital if necessary. It also called for prompt access to specialist medical care, dental services, essential medicines and diagnostic facilities for women prisoners.
The HRC-Pakistan further urged authorities to ensure that the pending legal petitions of Mazari-Hazir and Chattha are decided through fair and timely judicial proceedings.
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