Daily Times

Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, who was granted bail in a sedition case earlier in the day, was rearrested on Monday shortly after she was released from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Islamabad police took the human rights activist into custody. She was arrested in a case registered in Barakahu police station in the federal capital. She has been taken into custody for a case registered against her under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The Mazari’s counsel in a statement said the police did not inform them about the case in which Mazari had been arrested. The development comes after an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday granted bail to Mazari and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Ali Wazir in a sedition case related to the controversial speech against the state institutions. ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the plea and approved post-arrest bail of Imaan and Wazir against surety bonds of Rs30,000 each.

The two were arrested on August 20 and sent on physical remand after they were accused of delivering a controversial speech at the PTM’s public rally. On August 19, two first information reports (FIR) were registered against Imaan and Wazir at the Tarnol police station and Counter-Terrorism Department police station, following a rally of the PTM in the federal capital.

Both were booked on the charges of sedition, preventing government officials from carrying out their duties and damaging public property. During hearing on Monday, Prosecutor Raja Naveed argued that more than 1,000 people were present at the rally where Imaan delivered the controversial speech against state institutions. He said Imaan had accused government officials of committing treason in the speech while USB containing the controversial speech had not been received yet.