ISLAMABAD: Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were arrested by the police on Friday, allegedly in a case related to an altercation before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The couple was arrested in the IHC Bar Council van while they were on their way from the bar association office to the district and sessions court in Islamabad.
The police confiscated Mazari and Chattha’s phones and shifted them to the women’s police station. Sources said they have been arrested in the case related to an altercation outside the IHC.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the federal capital had on Thursday dismissed the bail applications of Mazari and Chattha in the case due to their absence in the hearing.
The case was registered following a complaint by IHC Bar Association President Wajid Ali Gilani over a heated exchange of words during a protest outside the bar association office. Both had filed pre-arrest bail applications in this matter.
In reaction to this development, the IHC Bar Association called for a strike to protest the “illegal” arrest of Mazari and Chattha.
Furthermore, the two had also been summoned by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka in the controversial tweets case today. The local court judge had ordered Mazari and Chattha to appear at 8:30 am today following their repeated absence from recent hearings.
The two are booked in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016 and were subsequently formally charged on October 30.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that the couple tried to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
Additional Magistrate Majoka had issued arrest warrants for the couple earlier this month over their continued absence. However, the IHC restored his bail earlier this week.
IHC judge Muhammad Azam Khan also restored his right of defense and stayed the order passed by Majoka, citing the accused’s failure to appear in court.
Last month, Mazari and Chattha filed an application before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), expressing distrust in Justice Majoka and requesting the transfer of the controversial tweets case to another court.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
