Roads to Karachi Press Club blocked as protests erupt over Imaan, Hadi conviction

KARACHI:

All roads leading to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) were blocked on Monday as traffic in the city centre came to a standstill following a protest against the conviction of lawyer-activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to controversial social media posts.

Mazari and Chattha were arrested on Friday in Islamabad while reportedly heading to the district courts. An anti-terrorism court later sent them on a 14-day judicial remand. The following day, a district and sessions court convicted the couple in a case related to controversial social media posts and sentenced them to 17 years in prison.

Read More: Lawyers Imaan, Hadi sent on 14-day judicial remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest

The case centres on alleged posts and reposts on X, which authorities described as “anti-state”. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, alleging the content was intended to incite divisions and portray state institutions negatively.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), along with lawyers, journalists and members of civil society, staged a protest outside the KPC and condemned restrictions on freedom of expression under Peca.

Before the protest began, police blocked roads around the KPC by placing containers at multiple locations, including Fawara Chowk, YMCA, Sarwar Shaheed Road and Zainab Market Cut. Buses and containers were stationed on surrounding roads, and a heavy police contingent was deployed in the area.

Police officials present at the scene declined to respond when an Express Tribune reporter approached for comment on the situation around KPC.

Due to the road closures, journalists, media workers and employees of nearby offices faced severe difficulties in commuting. Police sealed three sides of the KPC, leaving only a narrow passage open near the YMCA, which caused congestion and inconvenience for journalists, workers and even local residents.

The protest was led by HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt. Participants included KPC President Fazil Jamili, Saeed Sarbazi, Arif Baloch, Saeed Baloch, Mazhar Abbas, Tahir Hasan Khan, Qazi Khizar, Dr Tauseef Ahmed and others. The KPC and the Karachi Union of Journalists formally expressed solidarity with the protesters.

Also Read: Imaan Mazari alleges mistreatment as court hears tweet case via video link

Demonstrators raised slogans demanding the immediate release of Mazari and Chattha, declaring Peca a “black law”, and calling for an end to false cases. Other chants condemned what protesters described as a “baton-and-bullet” approach by the authorities and demanded protection of freedom of expression.

Addressing the gathering, Butt and other speakers strongly criticised the passage and enforcement of repressive laws by a democratic government. They said Peca had effectively criminalised freedom of expression and was being used to silence dissenting voices. The speakers stated that the lawyer couple was punished merely for expressing their views on social media.

The speakers also condemned the police action of blocking roads around KPC, terming it an attempt to criminalise a peaceful protest. They said restricting access to the press club was shameful and dangerous for democracy, warning that suppressing freedom of expression would ultimately harm the government itself.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Butt said the KPC was a platform where people raised their voices, but the state appeared too afraid to allow peaceful protest.

“Due to the closure of roads, people across different communities were unable to reach here, but somehow we managed to get here, and it is our success. Despite government road closures, people reached the KPC,” he said.

Butt said such developments were alarming and affected everyone. “We need to raise our voices because this can happen to us as well. We are raising our voices for ourselves,” he said.

Referring to Peca, he added: “When the Peca law was introduced, it was said that it was for enemies of the country, but we raised our voices and said this law would be used against human rights activists and political workers. Now time has proved us right.”

Senior journalist and CEJ Director Shahzeb Jillani also criticised the convictions while talking to The Express Tribune, saying the couple’s convictions were widely condemned in Pakistan and abroad.

“It is very clear from the manner in which the trial was conducted. It has made a mockery of justice. To give somebody 10 years’ imprisonment over a tweet should not happen,” he said.

“We have seen cyber laws being used to silence dissent and to punish critics of the government, but this has gone too far. This is not restricted to any political party — this affects every citizen in the country,” he added.

Jillani said the protest had brought together people from different backgrounds. “Everyone was peaceful, but it is shameful the way the local administration prevented people from gathering at the KPC. Still, the point has been made,” he concluded.

Earlier, the Karachi Traffic Police said in a post on X around 5pm that vehicular flow was slow on II Chundrigar Road, Shaheen Complex Chowk, Aiwan-e-Sadr Road, Fawara Chowk, Zainab Market and the surrounding areas due to “security” reasons.

Google Maps shows the traffic situation around the Karachi Press Club. (Screengrab taken at 8:30pm)

Human rights activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir accused authorities in a post on X of blocking access to the KPC in an attempt to suppress protests against the couple’s convictions.

Nasir said all roads leading to the press club had been sealed using containers and parked buses. “The state wants to deny journalists, advocates and civil society the right to protest and expose the sham trial and conviction of Advocates Imaan Mazaari and Hadi Ali Chatha,” he said.

Nasir further criticised what he described as increasing state repression, saying such measures would not silence dissent. “No number of disappearances, arrests and convictions can rid the state of its fear of the truth,” he added.

He also accused the Sindh government and law enforcement agencies of violating fundamental rights. “Sindh Police are again being used and abused as a tool by the PPP government and establishment to trample over fundamental rights,” Nasir said.

Jamili condemned the sealing of roads around the press club, calling it a violation of democratic rights and an attempt to suppress peaceful protest.

In a post on X, Jamili said the restrictions imposed by authorities amounted to an attack on civil liberties. “The siege of the Karachi Press Club today is a blatant assault on democratic freedoms,” he said.

He criticised the decision to block access to the press club and prevent citizens from gathering to protest the sentencing of Mazari and Chattha. “By cordoning off the KPC & barring citizens, including Zulfiqar Bhutto Jr, from protesting the sentencing of Imaan Mazari, authorities are violating the fundamental right to peaceful assembly,” he added.

Digital rights activist Usama Khilji also criticised the road blockades and questioned the PPP leadership, asking what the Sindh government is afraid of.

The protest call comes after Islamabad’s lawyers began a three-day strike earlier today following the arrest and sentencing of advocates Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, with boycotts halting court proceedings across the capital.

Islamabad High Court Bar Association Secretary Manzoor Jajja confirmed that lawyers had been asked not to appear before courts. “Today, lawyers staged a strike in the Islamabad High Court. Lawyers did not appear in court, as requested,” he said.

Jajja said lawyers must remain united against what he described as police oppression and announced that they would proceed to the district courts in a convoy to formally register their protest.

A rally later moved from the deputy commissioner’s office to the adjoining senior superintendent of police’s office, where lawyers chanted slogans against the police. Lawyers ended their protest upon reaching the District Judicial Complex.

Also Read: Lawyers begin three-day strike over arrest

The Islamabad Bar also banned police entry into court premises. Lawyers removed police personnel who had been stationed in the court canteen. Earlier in the day, a separate demonstration was held outside the Sessions Judge East court, where additional police were deployed to maintain order.

The strike also surfaced during a civil case hearing at the Islamabad High Court. Advocate Qaiser Abbas Gondal, appearing for one of the parties, informed the court that the strike was being observed in response to the detention of lawyers. He said the bar secretary was also scheduled to appear in the case but did not attend due to the strike.