{"id":3487,"date":"2026-10-29T14:04:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T09:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=3487"},"modified":"2026-10-29T14:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T09:04:38","slug":"imaan-mazari-husband-sentenced-to-10-years-each-in-security-barrier-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=3487","title":{"rendered":"Imaan Mazari, husband sentenced to 10 years each in security barrier case"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Thursday sentenced lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a case involving the removal of security barriers and interference in official duties.<\/strong><\/p>\n

ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict at Adiala Jail after the completion of the trial and legal proceedings.<\/p>\n

The court convicted the two under three separate legal provisions and also imposed fines on them.<\/p>\n

The case was registered against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha on October 25, 2024.<\/p>\n

The prosecution alleged that the couple removed security barriers near Islamabad\u2019s Zero Point on the occasion of a Test match between Pakistan and England in Rawalpindi and attacked police personnel on duty, allegedly slapping them and striking them with metal knuckles.<\/p>\n

The court indicted the two on October 7. A state counsel, Atif Mahmood, was appointed to represent them, and he cross-examined the prosecution witnesses.<\/p>\n

The prosecution presented seven witnesses during the trial.<\/p>\n

Mazari and Chattha have denied the allegations, describing them as fabricated.<\/p>\n

During a hearing at Adiala Jail on Tuesday, both recorded statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in protest after being indicted while in custody.<\/p>\n

In her statement, Mazari said she was on her way to the anti-terrorism court to represent a client and was in a hurry when police blocked the road in the name of security arrangements for the visiting cricket team.<\/p>\n

She maintained that police personnel had acknowledged that the team had already reached the stadium via an alternative route and that they had no written order from a magistrate authorising the road closure.<\/p>\n

Mazari alleged that when she asked police to reopen the road in accordance with citizens\u2019 constitutional right to freedom of movement, a plainclothes police official threw an iron rod at her, injuring her. She said her husband had acted only to protect her.<\/p>\n

She submitted a medical report from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) as evidence and alleged that the prosecution deliberately withheld video evidence and did not produce any independent or private witnesses.<\/p>\n

Chattha endorsed his wife\u2019s account, saying he had acted in response only to protect her after a police official attacked her. He said the PIMS medical report supported their account.<\/p>\n

He also alleged that investigative proceedings continued unlawfully despite the Islamabad High Court suspending his judicial remand, and that witness statements were recorded in his absence.<\/p>\n

The couple maintains that the cases against them were filed in retaliation for pursuing cases involving enforced disappearances and providing free legal assistance in human rights matters.<\/p>\n

They have also alleged that they were kept in a cage during the trial at Adiala Jail and denied access to their lawyers.<\/p>\n

The verdict can be challenged before a higher court. Legal experts say the couple has the right to appeal, with a challenge before the Islamabad High Court expected in the coming days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Thursday sentenced lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a case involving the removal of security barriers and interference in official duties. ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict at Adiala Jail after the completion of the trial and legal proceedings. The court convicted the two under three separate legal provisions and also imposed fines on them. The case was registered against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha on October…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3487\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}