Court issues arrest warrants for Imaan Mazari, husband

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chatha, in the controversial tweet case linked to state and national security institutions.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka issued the warrants for both Mazari and Chatha, directing that they be arrested and produced before the court on September 24.

The court noted that earlier summons notices had been served to both suspects. Their counsel filed an application seeking cancellation of the warrants, but the judge rejected the request on the spot.

The case has been adjourned until September 24 for further hearing.

Previous arrests

In August 2023, Imaan was taken into custody by Islamabad police alongside former lawmaker Ali Wazir in a sedition case.

Although she secured bail after more than a week, she was immediately re-arrested outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail the same day in connection with a terrorism case.

She was eventually freed on September 2, 2023, after an Islamabad anti-terrorism court approved her post-arrest bail.

Later in Oct 2024, the human rights lawyer along with her husband Hadi Ali was arrested on 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 Ali moving road barriers to clear the path for traffic.