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Several roads leading to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) remained closed for hours as lawyers, rights defenders and civil society representatives held demonstrations against the conviction of Pakistan's human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, resulting in major traffic disruptions across the city.
According to Dawn, on Monday, authorities blocked key routes using containers and parked buses, slowing vehicular movement and preventing many protesters from reaching the press club, causing inconvenience to commuters on multiple arteries. Police also stopped activist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior and others from accessing the KPC, drawing criticism from journalists. KPC President Fazil Jamili termed the action a violation of constitutional freedoms, saying, "The siege of the Karachi Press Club today is a blatant assault on democratic freedoms. By cordoning off the KPC and barring citizens, including Zulfiqar Bhutto Jr., from protesting the sentencing of Imaan Mazari, authorities are violating the fundamental right to peaceful assembly." Lawyer Jibran Nasir said, "all roads leading to the KPC have been blocked by placing containers andAll parking buses. The state wants to deny journalists, advocates and civil society the right to protest and expose the sham trial and conviction of Advocates Imaan Mazaari and Hadi Ali Chattha". Journalist Sameer Mandhro also stated that "police [have] blocked all routes leading to the Karachi Press Club". "The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, journalists, lawyers, and civil society activists are protesting against the Peca Act and the sentence awarded to Imaan Mazari," Mandhro added, Dawn reported. After being prevented from entering the press club, Zulfikar Bhutto Junior, son of the late politician Murtaza Bhutto, staged a sit-in at the KPC Roundabout. Speaking to the media, he said police were not even allowing demonstrators to protest on pavements. "We are being deprived of fundamental human rights. I want to participate in the protest, but participation in the protest has become a crime," he said. Commenting on Mazari and Chattha's sentencing, Bhutto Junior said, "They were convicted over just a tweet. My father faced similar treatment by the police." Veteran activist Sheema Kermani was also among those holding the sit-in. Meanwhile, roads near Zainab Market and the Arts Council of Pakistan roundabout remained blocked for several hours. Some routes were reopened later, and the sit-in ended around 6:45 pm after Bhutto Junior and others were allowed to proceed to the KPC, with all remaining closures lifted by about 9 pm, according to Dawn. Speaking again at the press club, Bhutto Junior said there were no restrictions on protest in a democratic society. "Only thieves are happy in this country, and I am talking about those thieves who hold posts and are sitting in Islamabad," he said. The protests followed a sessions court verdict sentencing Mazari and Chattha to a combined 17 years in prison on multiple charges linked to social media posts, triggering widespread outrage among rights groups, opposition parties and journalists, Dawn reported. They were sentenced a day after their arrest in Islamabad, with critics stressing their right to a fair trial. Amnesty International flagged the "lack of adherence to due process", calling the cases "retaliatory cases aimed solely at silencing Mazari and Chattha for their human rights work and dissent". The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also condemned the arrests, describing the case as a "tool to harass, intimidate and ultimately muzzle dissent". Dawn reported. (ANI)
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