Court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Imaan Mazari and husband in tweet case

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to a controversial social media post.

The case, registered by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency, accuses the couple of promoting linguistic divisions through their online remarks.

Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka issued the warrants after both failed to appear before the court.

The judge also issued show-cause notices to Mazari and Chattha and adjourned the hearing until Thursday.

Chattha had been arrested outside the court last week after missing a scheduled appearance.

During the October 29 hearing, Judge Majoka ordered his arrest and cancelled his bail bonds, stating that the advocate had not submitted the required documents.

He was later taken into custody after arriving at the courtroom.

The FIR against the couple includes Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, concerning state and national security institutions.