The Islamabad High Court on Friday barred police from detaining lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari in a criminal conspiracy case.
The Islamabad police on Thursday had filed a case against Mazari following her participation in the Baloch students’ protest outside the National Press Club on March 1.
The students held a sit-in outside the club and were joined by Member of National Assembly Mohsin Dawar.
Islamabad police baton-charged the participants in order to disperse them.
Later, the police registered a first information report (FIR) against Mazari at Kohsar Police Station.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that he would not allow anyone to be harassed over criticism, while hearing a plea filed by the activist to declassify the FIR registered against her. He ordered the police to provide a copy of the FIR to Mazari saying that silencing the voices of Baloch students was equivalent to sedition.
Mazari’s lawyer informed the court that the protest was held after a student from the Quaid-e-Azam University was taken away. The lawyer said that police resorted to violence against the protestors, as a result of which students sustained injuries.
The lawyer requested the court to look into the matter of missing students from Balochistan. The court replied that a separate petition would need to be filed for it.
