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Islamabad Court Orders Arrest of Imaan Mazari and Husband Within 24 Hours
Islamabad district court orders law enforcement to arrest lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha within 24 hours, warning of contempt proceedings in case of non-compliance.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-16
Islamabad Court Orders Arrest of Imaan Mazari and Husband Within 24 Hours

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday directed law enforcement authorities 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.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, while hearing a case related to alleged incitement on linguistic grounds and dissemination of content against state institutions, issued strict instructions to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Islamabad Jawad Tariq to ensure the immediate arrest of the accused.

“Take them from Pakistan, India or Afghanistan. You have 24 hours. I don’t know whether they are at sea or in the sky. Wherever they are, arrest Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha within 24 hours, otherwise contempt of court proceedings will be initiated,” the judge remarked during the hearing.

The court had cancelled the interim bail of Mazari and Chattha a day earlier after they repeatedly failed to appear despite clear directions. Judge Majoka also directed the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to arrest the accused and keep them in lockup upon their arrest.

The court further ordered that the statements of the accused be recorded under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) through a video link if their physical presence could not be arranged immediately.

Earlier, on January 7, Mazari and Chattha filed an application requesting the summoning of the Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) as a witness. They argued that remarks made during a recent military press briefing were intended to influence the ongoing criminal proceedings, noting that the press conference was aired nationwide and remains available online.

The case originates from a complaint lodged on August 12, 2025, at the NCCIA in Islamabad. According to the FIR, Mazari allegedly propagated narratives aligning with hostile terrorist and proscribed organisations through social media, while Chattha was accused of reposting some of the content.

The FIR further claimed that 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 militant outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Mazari and her husband were formally indicted in the case in October last year.
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CyberCrime

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