A law officer tells the court that he had written to the provinces seeking information on the cases against Imaan, and he had also communicated this through fax and WhatsApp.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Sept 4th, 2023) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued an order preventing authorities from arresting human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir in any case without first informing the court.
Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb passed the orders during a hearing on Monday, in response to a petition filed by Imaan.
During the recent court hearing, Justice Aurangzeb took up Imaan's plea, which sought the details of the FIRs registered against her and requested protective bail. Additional Attorney General (AAG) Munawar Iqbal Dogal informed the court that he had written to the provinces seeking information on the cases against Imaan, and he had also communicated this through fax and WhatsApp.
Responding to Imaan's speech during a PTM rally, the AAG stated, "The petitioner should not make such statements." In response, Justice Aurangzeb stated, "We are disposing of the case. If there is any [new] FIR, then you will inform the court."
Imaan was granted bail in a case registered by Bahara Kahu police station on Saturday.
In her plea filed last week, Imaan had requested "protective omnibus bail" to allow her to seek "bail before arrest" and participate in the investigation. The plea listed the state, the Islamabad inspector general, city senior superintendent of police, Adiala Jail superintendent, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as respondents.
She asked the IHC to instruct the respondents not to arrest, harass, or restrict her liberty for a period determined by the IHC. Additionally, she requested the court to instruct the respondents to provide details of all cases registered against her in Islamabad and across the country.
Imaan expressed concerns that she might be arrested in another case due to an unknown number of FIRs that might have been filed against her. The plea argued that the police had mechanically arrested and re-arrested her without determining if her detention served any investigative purpose, especially when two courts had already granted her bail.
The petition also referenced a previous verdict stating that "no separate FIR is to be recorded for any new version of the same incident," which is precisely the situation Imaan faced, with new FIRs continually emerging, prompting her arrest.
The petition further mentioned an incident on August 20 when a judicial magistrate had removed Section 395 (punishment for dacoity) from one of the initial FIRs against Imaan, noting that the contents of the FIR did not constitute the said offense.
Imaan, along with former lawmaker Ali Wazir, was arrested last month, and criminal cases were registered against them by the Tarnol police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station.
On August 28, Imaan was granted bail in a sedition case but was re-arrested by Islamabad police on the same day in connection with a newly filed terror case. She was remanded in police custody for three days by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).
On August 30, the IHC prohibited the police from arresting Imaan in any case registered after August 20, which was the date of her initial arrest. Subsequently, on September 2, she was granted bail in the terror case and released.
