Islamabad [Pakistan], February 3 (ANI): Former federal minister Shireen Mazari has approached the Islamabad High Court, seeking permission to meet her daughter, Imaan Mazari, and son-in-law, Hadi Ali Chatha, currently detained in Adiala Jail, the Dawn reported.
Imaan and Hadi were sentenced to 17 years in prison for social media posts deemed “anti-state” under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016. They have remained in continuous judicial custody since their conviction on January 24.
Mazari’s petition alleged that jail authorities have denied her visitation rights, violating constitutional guarantees of due process, dignity, fair trial, and humane treatment. The plea seeks urgent judicial intervention to allow family visits and confidential access to lawyers, citing Pakistan’s Constitution and international human rights standards.
In a writ petition filed under Article 199 of the Pakistani Constitution, Mazari contested that jail authorities had unlawfully denied her visitation rights and cut off the detainees’ access to family members and legal counsel without any written order or lawful justification, the Dawn reported.
According to Dawn, the petition stated that despite repeated requests, the petitioner had kept in the dark about the physical and mental health of the detainees, their medical treatment, and jail conditions.
It further alleged that the authorities had also obstructed confidential meetings between the detainees and their lawyers, thereby impeding their ability to file a time-sensitive appeal against their conviction.
Such restrictions, the petition argued, amounted to “incommunicado detention” and violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 4, 9, 10-A, and 14 of the Constitution, including the rights to due process, a fair trial, and dignity.
The plea also cited the Punjab Prison Rules, 1978, and international standards, including the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules, asserting that the state has a heightened duty of care toward individuals in custody.
According to Dawn, seeking interim relief, Mazari requested the court to immediately allow temporary family visits and legal consultations pending the final disposal of the petition.
The respondents named in the case include the Federation of Pakistan, represented by the interior secretary; the inspector general of police in Islamabad; and the superintendent of Adiala Jail. The IHC has not yet set a date to hear the petition.
The case against Imaan and Hadi originated from a complaint lodged on Aug 12, 2025, with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Islamabad. The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and promoting narratives allegedly aligned with proscribed organisations, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her content.
According to the FIR, the couple had held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against militant groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Arrest warrants were issued by the trial court in November 2025. After several hearings and procedural developments, including a change of court-appointed counsel, their interim bail was cancelled in mid-January, followed by their arrest.
The couple has also faced separate cases, including one linked to a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee and another related to a scuffle outside the IHC in September 2025. They were arrested earlier this month and sent to judicial custody.
The IHC is yet to fix a hearing date on the petition. (ANI)