The Islamabad High Court (IHC) barred the authorities on Wednesday from taking human rights attorney Imaan Mazari out of Islamabad while she is under arrest.
Imaan’s request for information on all cases against her, whether they have been revealed or not, was being heard by a divisional bench made up of Justice Mian Gul Hassan and Justice Aurangzeb.
Shireen Mazari, the mother of Imaan and a former federal human rights minister and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), appeared in court with Suleman Akram Raja and Qaiser Imam.
The petitioner’s solicitors said that it was necessary to submit such a plea after Imaan was charged with sedition and terrorism in two separate cases. She was detained in both instances and freed on bail, but as soon as she was let out of Adiala jail, the well-known human rights attorney was detained in a third instance, the attorneys told the judge.
The attorneys asked the judge to prevent the government from ever moving Imaan outside of Islamabad.
The bench asked how many cases had been filed against Imaan nationwide and instructed the interior secretary to contact the provinces for information so that they could provide the court with an update by tomorrow (Thursday).
The human rights attorney cannot be moved outside of Islamabad while she is being held by the government, according to a new ruling by the court. The interior secretary was given instructions to make sure that court rulings were followed.
The court prohibited the authorities from detaining Imaan in any case involving events that occurred after August 20, 2023, before adjourning the session.
