- Police prevent Zulfikar Junior reaching Press Club.
- Traffic snarls reported across parts of Karachi.
- Islamabad lawyers stage strike, avoid court proceedings.
KARACHI: Traffic around Karachi Press Club came to a standstill on Monday amid a protest against the conviction of lawyer-activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha.
The couple was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison each on Saturday under different sections in a case related to controversial social media posts.
Karachi police blocked the roads leading to KPC, causing heavy traffic disruption on II Chundrigar Road and in the Saddar area, amid a protest call by the civil society.
The blockade slowed traffic on II Chundrigar and surrounding Saddar streets to a crawl, with commuters reporting delays of hours.
Police also prevented Zulfikar Junior, grandson of former prime minister and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, from approaching the press club.
The protest call comes hours after lawyers in Islamabad staged a strike, refraining from court proceedings in protest against the arrest and sentencing of Mazari and Chattha.
Islamabad High Court Bar Association secretary Manzoor Jajja said that the association had requested all lawyers not to appear in court today.
At the time, he said lawyers planned to proceed in a convoy to the district court, where they intended to formally record their protest.
Mazari and her husband were sentenced to five years in jail each with a fine of Rs5 million each under section 9 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca); sentenced to 10 years each with a fine Rs30 million each under section 10 of the Peca.
The couple was also convicted under section 26-A of the Peca and were sentenced to 2 years each with a fine of Rs1 million each.
Mazari and husband were arrested on January 23, reportedly in a case related to an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The couple was later produced before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad amid strict security arrangements, with lawyers and media personnel not allowed to enter the courtroom.
The prosecution sought a seven-day physical remand in connection with an altercation case; however, ATC Judge Abul Hasanat Zulqarnain sent Mazari to jail on a 14-day judicial remand, while Chattha was sent to jail on a seven-day judicial remand.
