An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday granted human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir post-arrest bail in a terror case.
It comes a day after an ATC sent her to jail on judicial remand and issued directives to keep her in a women’s police station in the capital city until her bail hearing today.
Imaan and former lawmaker Ali Wazir were arrested on August 20 for alleged sedition, two days after a Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) public meeting in Islamabad. Videos circulating on social media showed speakers criticising the military establishment over enforced disappearances.
They had been booked in two separate cases — for alleged sedition by the Counter-Terrorism Department police and “rioting” by the Tarnol police.
The next day on Aug 21, an Islamabad ATC had granted police a three-day physical remand of her and Wazir in the sedition case.
On August 28, she, along with Wazir, received bail in the sedition case but was re-arrested within hours by the Islamabad police in connection with a freshly filed terror case. The following day, the ATC handed her over to the police on three-day physical remand in the same case.
During yesterday’s hearing, Imaan’s lawyer, Qaiser Imam had filed a bail petition and had urged the court to hear it soon, citing health concerns about his client.
Today, Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain presided over the hearing. Imaan’s mother, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, also appeared in the court along with lawyers Zainab Janjua and Imam.
Subsequently, it accepted Imaan’s plea, granting her bail for surety bonds worth Rs10,000. Later in the afternoon, she was released from jail and reached home.
Meanwhile, the ATC judge also issued a written order on the hearing yesterday, wherein the Attorney General for Pakistan was directed to assist the court at the next hearing.
