A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, over a case concerning allegedly controversial tweets targeting the state and national security institutions.
The case was heard by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, but the couple did not appear in court. The judge ordered their arrest and directed that they be produced before the court on September 24. Earlier, the court had issued summons for both Mazari and Chattha.
The couple’s legal counsel had requested the cancellation of the warrants, but the court rejected the plea. The hearing has been adjourned until September 24.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered a case against the couple, alleging that their social media posts attempt to incite ethnic divisions and glorify terrorism. The FIR further claims that Mazari and Chattha held security forces responsible for missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The case has been registered under Sections 9, 10, 11, and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Previously, Islamabad Secretariat Police had booked 70 lawyers—including Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha, Intizar Panjhutha, and Naeem Panjhutha—under anti-terrorism provisions, following a complaint by Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) President Wajid Gilani. The FIR stated that more than 150 individuals allegedly chanted derogatory slogans against the chief justice and the Pakistan Army, and that some participants assaulted Gilani and attempted to harm him with knives.
The incident occurred during a protest in support of Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, who has been barred from judicial duties pending a Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decision regarding allegations about his academic credentials. On September 16, an IHC division bench, led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, directed Justice Jahangiri to refrain from judicial duties until the SJC rules on a petition seeking his removal over the alleged fake degree.
During the protest, young lawyers marched from the court premises to IHCBA President Gilani’s office, chanting slogans. A confrontation ensued when some lawyers verbally confronted Gilani, prompting a clash between protesters and bar leaders.
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