By Asif Naveed
ISLAMABAD: A local court in the federal capital on Thursday formally framed charges against human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case linked to a controversial social media post.
Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka read out the charges against the two, who pleaded not guilty. The court adjourned proceedings until November 5, directing the prosecution to ensure the presence of all witnesses at the next hearing. The judge also ordered Chattha to resubmit his surety bonds.
The case was filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11, and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. The FIR accused Mazari and Chattha of allegedly attempting to incite linguistic and ethnic divisions through social media posts.
According to officials, Chattha was arrested late Wednesday after the court issued a warrant for failing to appear earlier in the day. Last month, the same court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for both Mazari and her husband over repeated absences.
Both have faced multiple cases in recent years. In October 2024, the couple was detained for allegedly interfering in government operations during the visit of the England cricket team by removing road barriers and “creating a security risk.” Video footage of the incident had gone viral on social media.
In August 2023, Imaan was also arrested alongside former lawmaker Ali Wazir in a sedition case. Although she was granted bail, she was immediately re-arrested in connection with a terrorism case before finally being released on September 2, 2023, after securing post-arrest bail from an anti-terrorism court.
