The case aims to hamper the lawyers’ work representing victims of state abuses, rights groups say
Rights groups have voiced alarm after a Pakistani court rejected two lawyers’ pleas for acquittal in a case they say is aimed at punishing criticism of the military.
An Islamabad court on Dec. 4 dismissed applications filed by lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha seeking to be cleared of charges of inciting linguistic divisions and creating the impression that the armed forces were promoting terrorism.
The court also turned down their request to remove the state-appointed counsel representing them.
Riaz Anjum, president of the Christian Lawyers Association in Pakistan, said the proceedings reflect “an alarming attempt to criminalize dissent and intimidate citizens.”
Refusing bail to the couple “is not justice, it is coercion, aimed at silencing voices critical of the military,” he told UCA News on Dec. 5. “Such actions undermine democracy and reveal a disturbing abuse of power.”
The case stems from social media posts published between 2021 and 2025 that criticized the military.
The charges fall under provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which carries penalties of three to 14 years in prison and fines of up to 50 million rupees (US$176,574).
Mazari-Hazir was previously arrested in August 2023 after she accused the military of involvement in enforced disappearances during a rally in Islamabad.
Pakistan lawyers face ‘judicial persecution’ for criticizing army
