Maps
Magazine

LEGAL

Imaan Mazari Seeks to Summon DG ISPR as Witness in PECA Case
Lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband have asked an Islamabad court to summon DG ISPR as a witness in a PECA case over their social media posts, citing the right to a fair trial.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-07
Imaan Mazari Seeks to Summon DG ISPR as Witness in PECA Case

Lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha have approached an Islamabad court seeking to summon the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) as a witness in a case registered against them under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.

The application was submitted on Wednesday before Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka during the hearing of the case being investigated by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

Mazari and Chattha are accused of allegedly inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through their social media posts and creating the impression that Pakistan’s armed forces were involved in terrorism within the country.

In their written application, the accused referred to a press conference addressed by the military spokesperson on January 6, arguing that statements made during the briefing directly related to matters currently under trial before the court. The application noted that the press conference was broadcast on all national media platforms and remains publicly accessible online.

“This is the exact prosecution case that is pending adjudication before this learned court,” the application stated, adding that summoning the DG ISPR was necessary to ensure natural justice, fair trial, and due process as guaranteed under the Constitution.

The court directed that a copy of the application be provided to the prosecution and observed that a decision on the request would be made after hearing the prosecution’s response. Later, the court said it would issue its ruling on the application after recording the statements of the accused under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

During the hearing, prosecution witness Shahroz Riaz was cross-examined and made several admissions regarding how the inquiry was initiated and how social media material was collected in the case.

The court adjourned the proceedings until January 8.

Background of the Case

The case originated from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, at the NCCIA in Islamabad. The complaint accused Mazari of spreading and promoting narratives allegedly aligned with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations, while Chattha was implicated for reposting some of her social media content.

According to the FIR, the accused held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against banned outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Mazari and Chattha were formally indicted in the case in October last year.
Tagged:

freespeech

PECA

DGISPR

ImaanMazari
Share News: