- The petitioners’ attorney maintains that the case was baseless and fabricated.
- The ATC judge approves the couple’s bail through sureties of Rs 10,000 each.
- IHC issues notices to NCCIA over conviction in controversial tweets case.
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in the federal capital on Thursday granted bail after their arrest to lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in a case related to an alleged fight with police.
The couple was arrested by the Islamabad police last month for their alleged involvement in an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The case was registered at the Police Secretariat Police Station.
The applications were heard by ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, who approved the bail of Imaan and Chattha against surety bonds of Rs 10,000 each.
During the hearing, lawyer Riasat Ali Azad argued on behalf of the petitioners, saying that the case was fabricated and came to light suddenly. He maintained that the FIR was baseless and was based on a fictitious incident. Even the nominees were unaware of the case, he added.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict and then announced approval of the bail applications.
It is noteworthy that the couple will remain behind bars despite bail as a district and sessions court in Islamabad also convicted them in a separate case of the controversial tweets last month.
Notices issued in case of controversial tweets
In a related development, the IHC issued notices to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over Imaan and Chattha’s applications against their conviction.
In separate petitions filed with the Superior Court, they argued that their convictions were the result of a “patently illegal and arbitrary trial.”
The couple also requested the suspension of their sentences and bail pending the final decision of the main appeal.
The conviction came just a day after their arrest in the fight case last month, when Additional Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka sentenced the husband and wife to a total of 17 years in prison each under different sections related to controversial social media posts.
According to the 22-page written verdict, Mazari and her husband were sentenced to five years in jail each with a fine of Rs 5 million each under Article 9 of the Peca; sentenced to 10 years each with a fine of Rs 30 million each under Article 10 of the Peca.
Furthermore, the couple was also convicted under section 26-A of the Peca and sentenced to two years each with a fine of Rs 1 million each.
The two had been booked by the 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, 2025.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that the couple tried to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
