Human rights attorney Imaan Mazari was handed over to the authorities in ISLAMABAD on Tuesday after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted the police’s request for physical remand.
The ATC had released the lawyer on bail the day before in connection with a separate case filed against her for her involvement in a Pashtun Tahafuz Movement protest in the federal capital. But the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) led to her detention just hours later by police in Islamabad acting on a first information report (FIR) filed at the Bara Kahu police station.
The prosecution argued for Imaan’s physical remand today before Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, stating they had evidence to suggest she had been soliciting funds for terrorist operations.
Prosecutor Raja Naveed stated, “We need to recover the amount in her possession,” highlighting the importance of locating additional participants in the enterprise.
Advocate Zainab Janjua, representing Imaan Mazari, argued that she should not be granted physical remand because she was already cooperating with police.
Janjua maintained, “She is not an office holder for the PTM,” and that she was “willing to provide the bank statements.”
Terrorist Ali Wazir and sedition suspect Imaan Mazari apprehended, according to reports
The lawyer questioned the necessity of keeping the accused in police custody, saying, “Her laptop and phone are already in the police’s possession.”
After being taken into police custody on August 26, the complaint was registered on September 1. “Imaan Mazari never met the person who filed the FIR, nor has she collected any money,” her lawyer told the court.
She proceeded, stressing that “one cannot register multiple FIRs over the same incident,” by saying that “when Imaan was being released from Adiala Jail, Bara Kahu police was already present there.” She said that if the accused were released from custody in one case, they would be taken into custody in another.
She urged the court to drop the case, noting that the PTM’s organizers had a no objection certificate (NOC) from the appropriate authorities.
“Granting NOC does not mean permission for anti-state sloganeering,” the prosecution claimed. He also said that evidence will be gathered if remand was granted.
Janjua maintained that this request was “unnecessary” because they would provide the court with any and all information requested. The judges, she warned, “must take note that courts are being used to settle scores.”
After hearing both sides’ arguments, the ATC decided to withhold judgment. The activist was then placed on three days of physical remand.
