ISLAMABAD: Prominent Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir was released from jail on Saturday after an anti-terrorism court granted her bail, following a three-day remand into police custody due to her alleged involvement in a terror-related case
Mazari-Hazir, alongside Ali Wazir, co-founder of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), an ethnic rights movement, was apprehended on Aug. 20 for criticizing the country’s powerful military in a public rally. Their case drew attention to what rights groups perceive as an escalating crackdown on politicians and human rights activists in Pakistan. Both individuals faced charges of sedition, obstructing government officials from performing their duties, and causing damage to public property.
On Aug. 28, Mazari-Hazir and Wazir secured bail in the sedition case, only to be rearrested by Islamabad police shortly thereafter on new terrorism-related charges. A day later, the court remanded her into police custody for three days in connection with the latest case.
“Alhumdullilah [praise be to God], bail has been granted to [Imaan Mazari-Hazir] in the 3rd FIR [first information report] registered against her by the [counterterrorism department],” her lawyer, Barrister Ahsan J. Pirzada, announced on the X platform on Saturday.
Local media reported that following the acquisition of bail, she was released from jail and reached home.
Mazari-Hazir and Wazir were initially apprehended following the widespread circulation of videos on social media, featuring Mazari-Hazir addressing a PTM rally and voicing criticism against the Pakistani military regarding enforced abductions. The military, however, denies these allegations.
