New Delhi: In Pakistan, a court trial against a prominent human rights activist has taken a weird turn—it now involves a diplomat.
In the much-discussed trial of Pakistan’s prominent human rights activist, Imaan Mazari, former PTI member Shireen Mazari’s daughter, the Pakistan government has issued a demarche to the Norwegian ambassador in Pakistan for attending the proceedings.
Pakistanis are now debating whether it is right or wrong.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned the Norwegian ambassador Per Albert Ilsass, urging him to “respect established diplomatic norms” after he made what Islamabad termed an “unwarranted” appearance at the court hearing.
According to the ministry, the ambassador was called in by the additional foreign secretary (Europe) and told that his attendance violated “diplomatic protocol and relevant international law.”
Muhammad Taqi, a Pakistani columnist, called this a case of Pakistan’s ‘hybrid regime’ getting worse.
“In case of the Norwegian ambassador attending @ImaanZHazir trial, the hybrid+ regime is worse than even Zia’s martial law. A former US attorney general, Ramsey Clark, had attended and observed the notorious trial of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977-1979,” he wrote on X.
Journalist Wajahat Kazmi called it “a breach of diplomatic norms” and questioned the ambassador’s presence.
“This case has no link to Norway, yet his presence looks like a pressure tactic. Who allowed this intrusion, and why is a foreign envoy circling someone facing serious charges?” he wrote on X.
He was countered by Imaan’s mother, Shireen Mazari, who labelled his tweet as “ignorant”.
“There is no remedy for ignorance. Diplomats observe open court trials esp related to human rights given Pak has signed GSP Plus whereby it has made specific commitments on HRs. Pak also party to 7 int HR Conventions. Dips & int orgs reps observe & in some cases check too!” she noted.
Others attacked Mazari’s privilege. Pakistani journalist Waqas Ahmed said that he no longer feels sorry for Imaan, given that “she has incredible privilege and access, she has foreign governments and ambassador backing her.”
He then added, “Yet instead of using that access and privilege to question why these people enabled the Pakistani fascism for the last three years, she uses it all to herself. Her case. She. Her. Incredibly selfish and tone deaf. No understanding of how her struggle is connected to the struggle of the ordinary Pakistanis who have been crushed under the mighty foot of military oppression for so long. I feel bad. I felt sorry for her. Pakistani elite never fails to disappoint.”
Academician and activist Nida Kirmani defended Mazari.
“[Imaan] has consistently stood up for the most oppressed in this country at great personal cost—victims of enforced disappearances, fake blasphemy allegations, & state violence,” she wrote on X.
What is the case?
The case against Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, gained prominence after the Pakistani civil society, including activists and academicians, rallied in support of her and called out the trial.
The case is based on an FIR report filed by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCIA) in August 2025, based on their tweets that were critical of human rights violations committed by the Pakistan military.
According to Frontline Defenders, a global network of journalists, the legal proceedings against Mazari and her husband have “evidence of serious procedural irregularities and attempts to influence the outcome of the trial and their legal defence”.
It claims that they have been denied legal representation of their choice, that there have been attempts to influence the state-appointed legal defence, and they were forcibly arrested despite compliance with the summons. Their trial was then shifted to 15 December.
Mazari, as a lawyer, has represented victims of human rights violations and is an outspoken critic of extrajudicial killings and abductions across the state. She is also the daughter of Shireen Mazari, a former Pakistani politician who served as the Federal Minister for Human Rights under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Hadi Ali Chattha is a criminal lawyer who represents blasphemy accused victims. He had also worked with the Asma Jahangir Legal Cell, representing victims of sexual violence, rape and enforced disappearances. Even Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch published a letter in solidarity with the couple.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)