Pakistan court grants bail to rights activist and politician

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan court bailed a prominent human rights activist and a former lawmaker on Monday, their lawyer said, after they were detained for protesting against disappearances.

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 (PTM), which fights for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns.

Some 3,000 people attended that rally in the capital Islamabad, where both Mazari-Hazir and Wazir gave speeches condemning the harassment of Pashtuns.

Lawyer Zainab Janjua told AFP Monday that Mazari-Hazir “should be released today”.

Wazir was also granted bailed but will be produced before another Islamabad court in a separate case related to the protest, she said.

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.