Former Minister Shireen Mazari Meets Family Inmates Through Urgent Court Petition

ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister Shireen Mazari approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday 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 related to controversial social media posts. In a writ petition filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, Mazari, aided by prominent lawyers including Kamran Murtaza, members of the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC) Raja Aleem Abbasi and Chaudhry Hafeezullah Yaqub, Zafar Khokhar, Asif Irfan, Abdul Rehman Hur Bajwa, President of Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) Syed Wajid Ali Gillani, President of District Bar Association Chaudhry Naeem Gujjar, Riasat Ali Azad, and others, alleged that jail authorities had denied detainees access to family members and legal counsel without any written order or recorded reasons.

The petition stated 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, Mazari has been denied visitation rights and kept in the dark about their physical and mental health, medical care, and jail conditions. The petition argues 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 contends 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 also 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 urged the IHC to issue immediate directions allowing temporary family visits and legal consultations pending the final decision of the writ.

The respondents include the Federation of Pakistan through its secretary of Interior, the inspector general of police Islamabad, and the superintendent of Adiala Jail. The IHC has yet to fix a hearing date on the petition.