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An Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday issued directives to keep human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir in a women’s police station in the capital city until her bail hearing tomorrow just moments after deciding a two-week judicial remand in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in a terror case.
Imaan and former lawmaker Ali Wazir were arrested on August 20 for alleged sedition, two days after a Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) public meeting in Islamabad. Videos circulating on social media showed speakers criticising the military establishment over enforced disappearances.
The next day on Aug 21, an Islamabad ATC had granted police a three-day physical remand of her and Wazir in the sedition case.
On August 28, she received bail in the sedition case, but within hours was re-arrested by the Islamabad police in connection with a freshly filed terror case. The following day, the ATC handed her over to the police on three-day physical remand in the same case.
On the expiry of her physical remand today, she was produced before the court of Judge Abul Hasnaat Muhammad Zulqarnain. Her lawyer Zainab Janjua, public prosecutor Raja Naveed, and her mother Shireen Mazari were also present in court for the terror case.
At the offset of the hearing, the prosecutor requested an extension in the physical remand of Imaan, at which Judge Zulqarnain asked about the current status of the case.
He then ordered sending Imaan on judicial remand to Adiala Jail.
Shortly afterward, another member of Imaan’s legal team, Qaiser Imam, filed a bail application immediately which was also heard by the same court.
The court issued notices on the bail application to the police, urging them to respond by September 4. However, Imaan’s counsel, Zainab Janjua, requested the hearing to be held tomorrow on medical grounds and on account of Imaan being a female.
Lawyer Qaiser Imam informed the court that his client’s health was not good.
The request for the early hearing was subsequently accepted and the court passed directives to hold Imaan at a women’s police station in Islamabad until the bail hearing tomorrow.
The court also amended the notice to police, asking them to respond by Sep 2.