ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad district and sessions court directed law enforcement executives to arrest lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, within 24 hours, warning that failure to comply would result in contempt of court proceedings.
The order was issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka during a hearing related to a case in which the couple is accused of promoting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media and portraying the country’s armed forces as being involved in terrorism.
The judge issued strict instructions to ensure the arrests were carried out within the given timeframe. The court observed that the location of the accused should not hinder compliance with the order, stressing that the arrests must be made regardless of whether the suspects were inside or outside the country.
In this regard, the court had cancelled the interim bail granted to Mazari and Chattha after they failed to appear before the court despite repeated directions. The cancellation paved the way for coercive measures, leading to Friday’s arrest order.
In addition, Judge Majoka further directed the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to take both accused into custody and keep them in lockup upon arrest.
The court also ordered that statements of the accused be recorded under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It said the statements could be recorded via video link if their physical presence was not immediately possible.
Meanwhile, Mazari and her husband submitted an application requesting the court to summon the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) as a witness.
They contended that a recent press briefing by the military spokesperson amounted to an attempt to influence the ongoing criminal trial, noting that the briefing was widely broadcast and available online.
The case originates from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, with the NCCIA in Islamabad. According to the complaint, Mazari disseminated narratives that aligned with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations, while her husband was accused of amplifying those narratives by reposting her content.
The first information report (FIR) stated that the accused held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It also alleged that their posts portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against banned militant groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
