Islamabad High Court Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani expressed strong displeasure over the lawyers’ strike held against the arrest of human rights activist lawyer Iman Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatha. During the hearing, the court noted the absence of legal counsel and questioned the reason behind the ongoing strike.
Justice Kayani remarked that the court had been informed that lawyers were not appearing due to the strike and sought clarification on the grounds for the protest. In response, Barrister Khush Bakht informed the court that the strike was being observed in protest against the arrest of Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha.
Reacting to this, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani observed that individuals who arrange their own arrests and send themselves to jail later resort to strikes over the same issues. He sarcastically commented on the role of the bar, saying it deserved a medal, while judges were being termed incompetent and courts were being declared inactive, even though representatives of the bar themselves had escorted both lawyers back from jail.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani further remarked that a judge had issued a decision without a lawful basis, highlighting an extraordinary situation within the legal process.
