A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court on Thursday sentenced human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a security-breach case dating back to an international cricket team’s visit to Pakistan.
Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict at Adiala Jail, where the couple have been held since earlier this year. Each was also fined Rs100,000 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, plus two years with a Rs50,000 fine for deterring a public servant and one year with a Rs50,000 fine for obstructing one. All sentences run concurrently, so the effective term for each is 10 years.
The case was registered at Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station and centres on allegations that the couple interfered with security arrangements during the England cricket team’s visit in October 2024, removing barriers along a route set aside for the team’s movement and obstructing officials on duty. The court heard seven prosecution witnesses.
The couple’s lawyer, Aimal Mandokhail, had asked the court to hold off announcing the verdict, arguing that petitions were still pending before the Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court, including a transfer application. The court went ahead anyway, having reserved its decision on October 27 after final arguments.
Mazari and Chattha have denied the charges throughout, saying the proceedings are retaliation for their human rights and legal work. In statements seen by Reuters, they described themselves as prisoners of conscience. Mazari’s mother, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, told Reuters the couple had not been allowed to defend themselves through their own lawyer and had not been given key legal documents, adding that the verdict would be challenged in the Supreme Court.
The pair were first arrested in October 2024 over the barrier allegations and later released. They were arrested again on January 23, 2026, in a separate case over social media posts, and sentenced the next day to 17 years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. The Supreme Court suspended those sentences on September 17, but police rearrested them the same day in the security-breach case, a move condemned at the time by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has repeatedly maintained that the judiciary is independent.
