Hours after he was notified as the opposition leader in the Senate on Tuesday, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas met lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, expressing solidarity with them and ruing that “dissent has been made a crime” in the country.
The meeting took place at the office of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president, following which a statement on Abbas’s X account detailed his media talk after his interaction with the lawyers.
The post quoted him as saying that Pakistan was currently going through a “severe crisis”.
“Unfortunately, the country seems to be heading in a direction where fundamental rights of people, constitutional guarantees and human dignity are being continuously violated. The real tragedy is that those who have the power and authority are the ones ruthlessly crushing the state’s soft power.
“Today, civil society, lawyers, human rights organisations and every other voice that raises awareness and questions is being pressurised in the country. Dissent has been made a crime and anyone who dares to speak up has to face imprisonment, cases and violence. The Constitution of Pakistan gives the people the right to choose their rulers, but here public decisions are trampled and elections are stolen,” Abbas was quoted as saying.
He said the people of Pakistan had several grievances and reiterated that the country was mired in political, economic and social crisis.
“When people are deprived of justice, they approach the court. But unfortunately, they often face disappointment there as well,” he added.
Abbas further stated that the “wounds of people of Balochistan are still fresh”.
“But instead of dialogue, rapprochement and political wisdom, force and operations were chosen as the first options for the resolution of issues there. Even though surgery should always be the last resort,” he continued.
“The question remains that after decades of ongoing operations, which issue has been resolved,” he said, adding that when injustice becomes common, countries start disintegrating.
He said the rulers need to “have mercy on Pakistan and should not further harm its international standing because they will not be able to contain the destruction that they are unleashing today”.
Abbas said millions of people in the country could not even afford two meals a day. And “if someone raises their voice against this, should they be responded to with bullets, batons and cases? Those who are not getting their rights and justice, where should they go?”
The Senate opposition leader said Mazari and Chattha were the voices of the oppressed. “They have the spirit of freedom, and the rulers are truly wise, they should promote awareness and liberty among the youth rather than trying to silence every free voice with bullets and imprisonment”.
“These young people raise their voices against cruelty and that is why they are being targeted,” he added.
He said that a first information report was being registered against Mazari “after six months”, in which she was accused of beating policemen. Abbas alleged that the intent behind this was to put Mazari behind bars at any cost.
“This conduct is not just blatant oppression but is also extremely damaging for the judiciary’s dignity. When people are disappointed by courts, they are compelled to strive to get justice for themselves on their own. This is a dangerous situation for any state,” he added.
“You cannot suppress truth by putting someone in jail. These voices grow stronger and more wide-reaching if they are held captive for days or even months,” he said.
“I sincerely advise the rulers to refrain from such oppressive actions, because Pakistan no longer has the capacity to bear any more,” he said.
In his remarks to the media, he criticised what he described as a broader crisis of justice in the country, stating that people approach courts in the hope of relief but were instead subjected to repression.
Terming the proceedings against Imaan and Hadi a grave injustice, he warned that such actions would furtther erode public confidence in the judiciary.
He added that accountability must not turn into revenge and emphasised that the constitution guarantees citizens the right to life, liberty, and freedom of expression.
Separately, a case registered against Imaan and Hadi in July 2025 resurfaced on Tuesday pertaining to a protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Council. The two subsequently filed pre-arrest bail applications which could not be heard on an urgent basis as the couple struggled to avoid arrest.
IHCBA President Syed Wajid Ali Gilani later took the two to his office and assured them of complete safety, stating that no arrest would take place from within the bar premises. He further informed them that their pleas would be scheduled later in accordance with the court’s roster.
The couple took refuge in the IHCBA president’s office, while a large number of police officials, including a female station house officer remained outside the premises.
IHC reinstates bail, right to defence for Imaan, Hadi in social media posts case
Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reinstated the bail of Imaan and Hadi in the controversial social media posts case, after it was cancelled by a sessions court on January 15.
In the case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca), the two have been accused of inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country.
On January 17, Mazari and Chattha challenged their arrest orders in the IHC, arguing that the trial court had unlawfully curtailed their right of defence, issued arrest warrants without fulfilling mandatory legal requirements, and ordered judicial custody along with virtual production.
During today’s hearing, the IHC judge reinstated the bail from earlier, suspending the arrest warrant issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.
He further directed them to complete the cross-examination in three days and reinstated their right to defence.
At this, the couple’s legal counsel, Kamran Murtaza, requested the court to grant one week. “I will look into it. You should proceed with the trial,” the judge remarked.
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