Brussels, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The re-arrest of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, hours after the Supreme Court suspended their sentences and ordered their release on bail has triggered renewed concerns among lawyers and rights groups over due process and judicial authority.
The Supreme Court on September 17 suspended the couple’s sentences in a case involving social media posts and ordered their release on bail pending proceedings before the Islamabad High Court. However, shortly after they were released from Adiala Jail, Islamabad Police arrested them again in connection with another case registered at Kohsar Police Station. They were subsequently produced before an anti-terrorism court, which rejected a request for 30 days of physical remand and sent them to jail on judicial remand.
The couple had been sentenced earlier this year to a combined 17 years in prison on multiple charges under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in connection with social media posts. The Supreme Court’s September 17 order suspended the operation of that conviction and granted them bail until the pending proceedings before the Islamabad High Court.
The immediate re-arrest drew criticism from legal representatives and rights organisations. Amnesty International welcomed the Supreme Court’s bail order and called for the couple’s immediate and unconditional release, while the Islamabad Bar Association announced a boycott of court proceedings in protest against their rearrest.
The fresh case relates to allegations arising from a protest and obstruction of roads. According to Dawn, the FIR at Kohsar Police Station was registered in March 2025. The police sought physical remand of the two lawyers, but the ATC instead ordered judicial custody.
The developments have also prompted questions over the practical effect of judicial relief when authorities initiate proceedings in separate cases. However, the re-arrest was carried out through another criminal case and the ATC subsequently passed a judicial-remand order; descriptions of the episode as evidence of “lawlessness” or deliberate defiance of the Supreme Court are contested characterisations rather than established judicial findings.
As of September 23, an anti-terrorism court had also returned bail petitions filed by Mazari and Chattha in the Kohsar Police Station case because the required signed powers of attorney had not been submitted. A separate petition concerning the Adiala Jail authorities’ handling of the documents was also before the court.
The case continues to draw scrutiny from Pakistan’s legal community, with the couple remaining involved in multiple proceedings arising from their earlier convictions and subsequent re-arrest.
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