Islamabad Bar Raises Alarm Over Imaan Mazari’s Jail Health
The Islamabad Bar Association has raised concern over the reported health condition of human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, while they remain in custody in Islamabad. The development surfaced on Saturday as the legal body urged the senior judiciary to urgently examine the situation and ensure medical protection for the detained lawyers.
According to the report, the association addressed a letter to the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court and the chief justice of Pakistan, asking them to take immediate notice of what it described as a serious custodial health matter. The appeal places renewed attention on the rights of prisoners, access to medical care and the court process linked to pending pleas for relief.
The bar association said Mazari was suffering from medical complications that required continuous attention, while Chattha was also facing a difficult condition and needed proper healthcare support. The matter is sensitive because both detainees are members of the legal fraternity, and their case has already drawn scrutiny from lawyers and rights-focused circles.
In its communication, the Islamabad Bar Association’s acting president Iram Rashid and secretary Raja Khawar Dhaniyal stressed that adequate medical treatment is not a privilege but a basic right of every prisoner. The association asked jail officials and medical authorities to issue prompt directions so that both detainees receive regular and appropriate care without avoidable delay.
The letter also requested that pending applications seeking suspension of the sentences awarded to Mazari and Chattha be fixed for an early hearing. That demand indicates the bar’s concern is not limited to immediate medical access but also extends to the pace of legal proceedings and the need for judicial review where health concerns are being raised.
Mazari, a prominent rights lawyer, has frequently been associated with civil liberties and constitutional issues, while Chattha is also a practising lawyer. Their detention has remained a closely watched matter because it combines legal accountability questions with broader concerns about due process, prisoner welfare and the treatment of lawyers involved in politically sensitive cases.
The fresh appeal comes at a time when Pakistan’s justice system continues to face public pressure over delayed hearings, overcrowded prisons and the standard of healthcare available to detainees. Lawyers’ bodies have often argued that prison authorities must follow constitutional protections regardless of the allegations, conviction status or political profile of an inmate.
The issue may now depend on how quickly the high court, the Supreme Court or relevant jail authorities respond to the bar association’s request. Any judicial intervention could shape the immediate medical arrangements for Mazari and Chattha and may also influence when their pending sentence-suspension pleas are taken up for hearing.