Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, the husband of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari, has been arrested outside a local court in Islamabad in the controversial tweet case, concerning the state and national security institutions.
The arrest was made following the issuance of an arrest warrant by Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Chattha did not appear before the court. Judge Muhammad Majoka also ordered the cancellation of Chattha’s bail bonds.
“In my view, Hadi Ali Chattha did not submit the bail bonds,” the judge remarked and directed the investigation officer to arrest and present the suspect in court the following day.
“Today, the case was fixed for framing of charge and prosecution evidence. Hadi Ali Chattha, accused, has intentionally not appeared in court. Hence, his bail bonds are forfeited and a non-bailable warrant of arrest be issued against him for tomorrow,” the short order read.
When Chattha arrived at the courtroom later, the judge said that the matter would be addressed tomorrow (Thursday), and he was apprehended from outside the court’s premises.
Imaan has also been named as a suspect in the case. Last month, the same court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Imaan and her husband in the case.
According to the first information report (FIR) of the case, registered by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency, Mazari and Chattha were accused of attempting to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
The case has been registered under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016.
Previous cases
The couple had been arrested in the past as well, in different cases. In October 2024, Imaan and Chattha were arrested in a case pertaining to alleged interference in government operations.
The couple was arrested by the Islamabad police for allegedly “creating a security risk” during the England cricket team’s visit by removing road barriers.
A video, shared on social media on October 25, purportedly showed Imaan and Chattha moving road barriers to clear the path for traffic.
In August 2023, Imaan was taken into custody by Islamabad police alongside former lawmaker Ali Wazir in a sedition case.
Although she had secured the bail, she was immediately re-arrested outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail the same day in connection with a terrorism case.
Imaan was eventually freed on September 2, 2023, after an Islamabad anti-terrorism court approved her post-arrest bail. –Agencies
