ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister Shireen Mazari on Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking urgent judicial intervention to allow her to meet her imprisoned daughter, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, and son-in-law Hadi Ali Chatha, both held in Adiala jail.

A sessions court had sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in a case pertaining to controversial social media posts.

In a writ petition filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, Mazari, through prominent lawyers including Kamran Murtaza, members of the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) Raja Aleem Abbasi, Chaudhry Hafeezullah Yaqub, Zafar Khokhar, Asif Irfan, Abdul Rehman Hur Bajwa, President Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) Syed Wajid Ali Gillani, President District Bar Association Chaudhry Naeem Gujjar, Riasat Ali Azad, and others, alleged that jail authorities had completely cut off the detainees from family contact and legal counsel, without any written order, recorded reasons, or lawful justification.

The petition states that Imaan and Hadi were convicted on January 24, 2026, in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and have since been held in “continuous judicial custody”. Despite repeated requests, the petitioner — mother of Imaan and mother-in-law of Hadi — has been denied visitation rights and kept in the dark about their physical and mental health, medical care, and jail conditions.

The plea contends that the detainees have also been deprived of confidential access to their lawyers, obstructing their ability to file an appeal against their conviction — a time-sensitive legal remedy. It argues that such “complete and indefinite denial” amounts to “incommunicado detention,” violating constitutional guarantees under Articles 4, 9, 10-A, and 14, which protect the rights to due process, dignity, fair trial, and humane treatment.

The petition further invokes the Punjab Prison Rules, 1978, and international standards such as the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, asserting that the state has a heightened duty of care toward individuals in custody.

In her interim relief request, Mazari has urged the IHC to issue immediate directions allowing temporary family visits and legal consultations pending the final decision of the writ.

The respondents in the petition include the Federation of Pakistan through the secretary of Interior, the inspector general of police Islamabad, and the superintendent of Adiala Jail.

The IHC is yet to fix a hearing date on the petition.

The case

The case pertaining to controversial social media posts stems from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025 at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCI) in Islamabad.

The NCCIA complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.

The First Information Report (FIR) of the case alleged that the two held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

It also stated that they had portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against proscribed groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Judge Majoka issued arrest warrants for the couple on Nov 5, 2025.

Later that month, a court-appointed lawyer for the couple refused to cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses, saying he could not “ask questions dictated” to him.

Subsequently, they were appointed a new lawyer by the court. After multiple hearings and repeated non-appearances, the court cancelled their interim bail on January 14 and days later, reissued arrest warrants for them.

Later, the two challenged their arrest orders before the IHC.

Separately, a case related to a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) dating back to July 2025 emerged against the duo. The IHC had granted them pre-arrest bail in the case.

Separataely, on January 23, Imaan and Hadi were arrested by the police in a case over a scuffle outside the IHC in September 2025. They were then sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.