ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistan court granted bail on Monday to a prominent human rights activist and a former lawmaker, their lawyer said, after they were detained for protesting against enforced disappearances.
Police officials present arrested lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir before a court in Islamabad [Photo: AFP] However, both remained in custody facing fresh cases, highlighting what civil liberties groups say are vexing cycles of court proceedings that are used to quash political dissent.
Lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and politician Ali Wazir were arrested under anti-terror laws last week after appearing at a protest by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement , which fights for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns. Around 3,000 people attended the rally in the capital Islamabad, where both Mazari-Hazir and Wazir gave speeches condemning the harassment of Pashtuns and calling on state forces to end an alleged shadowy policy of secret detention. Rights monitors say Pakistan's authorities have a long-standing practice of holding dissenters without due process, while broad anti-terror laws are used against political opposition. Lawyer Zainab Janjua told AFP that Mazari-Hazir was released but then immediately taken back into custody by Islamabad police, although"details surrounding the specific case for her arrest and the charges brought against her remain unknown". Islamabad Police said in a statement that"a case against Imaan Mazari was registered under the anti terrorism act", offering few further details. Wazir was also granted bail but remained in custody and will appear before court in a separate case related to the protest, Janjua said. PTM was launched to fight what it says are military excesses committed during anti-terrorism operations in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where most Pashtuns live.Founded in 2018, the group is notable for its direct verbal attacks on a military establishment that plays a dominant role in national politics. Pakistan's Pashtun heartlands were once plagued by violence and militancy, though army operations have dramatically improved security both there and across the country in recent years. But the PTM claims these operations came at a heavy price, with soldiers using enforced disappearances and targeted killings against civilians. Locals have staged a series of protests against the increased violence and have demanded better protection from the state. However, strict media blackouts have kept news and images of peaceful PTM rallies off TV screens and out of newspapers nationwide.
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