An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad has granted post-arrest bail to lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in a case related to an alleged scuffle with police outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The couple was arrested last month after an altercation near the court premises. The case was registered at the Secretariat Police Station.
ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain approved their bail against surety bonds of Rs10,000 each after hearing arguments from both sides.
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Their lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, told the court that the case was fabricated and based on a false incident. He argued that even those named in the FIR were unaware of the allegations. After listening to arguments, the court reserved its decision and later approved bail.
However, the couple will remain in jail for now. A district and sessions court had already convicted them in a separate case linked to controversial social media posts.
In that case, an additional judge sentenced both to a total of 17 years in prison each under different sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
According to the written verdict, they were given five years each with a fine of Rs5 million under Section 9 of PECA, 10 years each with a fine of Rs30 million under Section 10, and two years each with a fine of Rs1 million under Section 26 A.
The Islamabad High Court has now issued notices to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on the couple’s petitions challenging their conviction.
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In their appeals, they stated that their trial was “patently illegal and arbitrary” and requested suspension of their sentences and release on bail until the final decision.
The FIR in the cybercrime case alleges that the couple attempted to create divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts. They were indicted in October 2025 under multiple sections of PECA 2016.
The legal battle is far from over, and the coming hearings may decide their future.
