ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to rights activist Imaan Mazari and her spouse Hadi Ali Chattha in a case registered against them for attempting to remove security barriers placed for the English cricket team.

ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra approved the bail against Rs20,000 surety bonds each. The court on Tuesday had handed over their custody to police on physical remand.

Earlier on Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) annulled the physical remand and sent them to judicial custody instead.

The decision came from a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, following a petition challenging the ATC’s decision on their remand.

During the proceedings, defence counsel Qaiser Imam and Zainab Janjua presented their arguments on behalf of the couple.

At the court’s direction, the prosecutor read both the remand request and the ATC’s order, maintaining that the original order was correct.

However, Chief Justice Farooq questioned the adequacy of the reasons provided by the trial judge for the physical remand, pointing out a lack of concrete justification.

Following the IHC’s order nullifying the physical remand, the ATC resumed proceedings. The defence attorneys presented arguments based on the high court’s decision, stating that their clients’ remand had been deemed invalid, reinforcing the basis for bail.

Judge Sipra granted bail to both Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha against the surety bonds of Rs20,000 each.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2024