Reporting snapshot · 21 January 2026. This report reflects the protective bail granted on 21 January 2026 and the allegations recorded in the first information report as described in that day's reporting.
What happened
Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, secured two-day protective bail from the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, in a case registered under terrorism and attempted murder charges, according to Geo News.
The report said Justice Muhammad Azam Khan approved the couple’s bail plea against surety bonds worth Rs10,000 and directed them to appear before the relevant court within two days.
The case
The case relates to a first information report registered at the Kohsar Police Station on 27 October 2025 in the federal capital, in connection with the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s protest at the National Press Club, according to the report. The FIR includes anti-terror provisions and Section 8 of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, along with Pakistan Penal Code sections covering attempt to commit qatl-i-amd, rioting while armed with a deadly weapon, obstructing public servants and related offences.
The FIR alleges that Mazari, armed with a stick, attacked lady police constables, injured them, snatched their riot shields and vandalised public vehicles. It also alleges that Chattha, armed with a pistol, opened fire at a constable with intent to kill, missing him, and hurled death threats while waving the weapon.
During the hearing, the couple’s counsel, Kamran Murtaza, said that for the first time a woman had spent the night on the court premises, a reference to the couple’s stay at the Islamabad High Court Bar Association president’s office the previous night. He pointed to an older FIR over a 27 July incident and said Mazari had since appeared in court on multiple occasions, arguing that the FIR alleged firing even though his client had not touched a pistol. The court granted protective bail only in the case before it.
Why it matters
Protective bail shields the couple from arrest for two days while they seek further relief from the relevant court. The ruling came in a case that carries terrorism provisions, so the immediate question is whether the couple appear before the trial court within the two days fixed by the high court.
What is still uncertain
The report did not say what the couple’s next legal step would be, what the trial court will decide, or whether other cases are pending beyond the one addressed. It also did not identify the complainant or give any response from the police or the alleged injured officers.
Sources & reporting notes
This article summarises published reporting and is not eyewitness reconstruction. Sources were reviewed on 21 January 2026.
- Geo News — IHC grants protective bail to Imaan Mazari, husband Chattha in 'terror case'21 January 2026 · The two-day protective bail, the Rs10,000 surety bonds, the FIR details and the arguments made in court.
