An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday granted human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir post-arrest bail in a terror case.

It comes a day after an ATC sent her to jail on judicial remand and issued directives to keep her in a women’s police station in the capital city until her bail hearing today.

Imaan and former lawmaker Ali Wazir were arrested on August 20 for alleged sedition, two days after a Pashtun Tahaffuz Move­ment (PTM) public meeting in Islamabad. Videos circulating on social media showed speakers critici­sing the military establis­hment over enfor­ced disappearances.

They had been booked in two separate cases — for alleged sedition by the Counter-Terrorism Department police and “rioting” by the Tarnol police.

The next day on Aug 21, an Islamabad ATC had granted police a three-day physical remand of her and Wazir in the sedition case.

On August 28, she, along with Wazir, received bail in the sedition case but was re-arrested within hours by the Islamabad police in connection with a freshly filed terror case. The following day, the ATC handed her over to the police on three-day physical remand in the same case.

During yesterday’s hearing, Imaan’s lawyer, Qaiser Imam had filed a bail petition and had urged the court to hear it soon, citing health concerns about his client.

Today, Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain presided over the hearing. Imaan’s mother, former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, also appeared in the court along with lawyers Zainab Janjua and Imam.

Subsequently, it accepted Imaan’s plea, granting her bail for surety bonds worth Rs10,000. Later in the afternoon, she was released from jail and reached home.

Meanwhile, the ATC judge also issued a written order on the hearing yesterday, wherein the Attorney General for Pakistan was directed to assist the court at the next hearing.

The FIR

The fresh first information report (FIR) has been sealed, but according to a copy seen by Dawn, the case was registered under Section 11-N of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), as well as sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Section 11-N of the ATA deals with punishment under sections 11-H to 11-K, which include charges of fund-raising, use and possession, funding arrangements and money laundering for the purpose of terrorism.

The case was registered on Sunday at 1:15am in response to a complaint lodged by Shahzad, a resident of Nai Abadi Bhara Kahu, against Imaan, Wazir, and others.

Sources quoted the FIR as mentioning that a man, Kamran Khan, met Shahzad in the area of Bhara Kahu on August 8 and introduced himself as a human rights activist. He also told the complainant about human rights issues in his area, expressed his intention to work with him to improve the situation and sought his assistance to achieve it, according to the report.

The complainant claimed he gave some amount to Khan who then also arranged his meetings with Ali Wazir, Wasiullah Khan, Noorzada, Badshah Khan, Ovais Khan, Fidaullah, Shah Faisal, Jamal Shah, Irfan Majnoon, Liaquat Ali Yousafzai, Khairullah Aman, Bakht Zada, Mursalin Saeedi, Mohammad Usman, Mohammad Ali, Fayad, Mehran, Taj Nawab Khatak, Sabir Bilal, Pir Jabir, Shams Safi, Adil Khan Safi, Ijaz Khan Safi, Ijaz Khushhal, Gul Pasand and Imaan on different occasions.

Imaan was introduced as their focal person who looked after their affairs in Islamabad, the FIR stated. The complainant stated he was asked not only to remain in contact with her as she would inform him about the future programmes, but also to collect money and give it to her or any other person who they know.

All of them wanted to hold a rally on the pretext of human rights and other grounds against the government institutions including armed forces to incite the youth, the complainant stated, adding that their motive was building and strengthening an anti-state narrative to defame Pakistan.

Various people gave donations, in cash and through Easy Paisa, mobile apps and bank transfers. The suspects encouraged youngsters to collect maximum donations to avenge the state institutions, including the armed forces, by describing them as their enemy, the FIR stated.

However, the complainant said he separated himself from them, with the result that they started threatening him with dire consequences. They also held gatherings at Tarnol and Constitution Avenue from the amount collected as donations in which they attempted to incite people against the state institutions, including the armed forces, with the motive of spreading terrorism on political and regional basis, according to the FIR.