Imaan Mazari case: IHC issues notices to police, JAG branch representative

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the police and a representative of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces in a case registered against lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir for allegedly “abusing and defaming the senior command of the Pakistan Army.”

A single bench of Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Wednesday heard Mazari’s petition praying to the court to quash the FIR registered against her and directed the respondents to submit their response in this matter.

The Pakistan Army had filed a first information report against Imaan for “abusing and defaming” the army and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. However, the IHC granted Imaan pre-arrest bail till June 9 in the case.

The petitioner was booked under sections 505 and 138 (abetment of act of insubordination by soldier) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

During the hearing, the IHC chief justice remarked that the case registered against Imaan Mazari by a state institution should have been withdrawn after the accused had her statement recorded in the case. He further remarked that in her statement, Imaan had written that the comments on which the case was based were unintentional and she was stressed at the time.

Justice Minallah also asked her whether she had explained herself to the police after becoming a part of the investigation. In his reply, her counsel stated that Imaan had joined the investigation and had answered police questions.

She informed the court that they had written in the statement that they did not make any statement against the Pakistan army.

Later, the court deferred the hearing till June 9 for further proceedings in this matter.

Earlier, the petitioner submitted her statement to the IHC, in which she said the allegations against her were “baseless”.

She stated in her petition that on 21.05.2022, the petitioner’s mother became the subject of an unlawful arrest, which left the petitioner distraught. “The petitioner had been informed by her mother, in advance of this illegal arrest, that the latter had been involved in a couple of heated altercations with the Chief of Army Staff, though the petitioner had no knowledge of the content of the conversations,” said the petitioner.

She prayed before the court to declare that the impugned FIR was registered without lawful authority and declare that the impugned FIR is a product of mala fide. She also requested the court to quash the impugned FIR and any proceedings initiated on the basis thereof.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022