IHC grants protective bail to Imaan Mazari, husband Chattha in 'terror case'

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• Mazari, Chattha named in FIR registered at Kohsar Police Station.
• FIR alleges Mazari attacked lady police constables and injured them.
• Chattha faces allegations of opening fire, hurling death threats.

ISLAMABAD: Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, on Wednesday, secured two-day protective bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a case registered under terrorism and attempted murder charges.

IHc's Justice Muhammad Azam Khan approved Mazari and Chattha's bail plea against surety bonds worth Rs10,000 and directed the couple to appear before the relevant court within two days.

The case relates to a first information report (FIR) registered at the Kohsar Police Station on October 27, 2025 in the federal capital relating to the Balock Yakjehti Committee's (BYC) protest at the National Press Club (NPC).

The FIR features anti-terror provisions, Section 8 of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 along with Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) sections 440 (mischief committed after preparation made causing death or hurt); 395 (punishment for dacoity); 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd); 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint); 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant); 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions); 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty); and 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon).

The FIR alleges that Mazari, armed with a stick, attacked lady police constables and injured them, snatching their riot shields and vandalising public vehicles.

Chattha, as per the FIR, allegedly armed with a pistol opened fire at a constable with the intention to kill him — which missed him — and further hurled death threats while waiving his pistol.

During the hearing today, the lawyer couple's counsel Kamran Murtaza, said that for the first time a woman spent the night in the court premises — a reference to Mazari and Chattha's stay at the IHCBA president's office last night.

Murtaza pointed out that there's an old FIR on the July 27 incident after which Mazari has in fact appeared in courts on multiple occasions. If the prosecution wanted to arrest Mazari, then they should've done so before, he added.

The lawyer further stressed that the FIR alleges a firing incident, whereas the suspect hasn't even touched a pistol. Murtaza further requested the court to grant protective bail in the said case, along with other cases that he's not aware of.

However, the court then only granted protective bail to Mazari and Chattha in the said case.