Imaan Mazari, husband indicted under PECA in 'controversial tweet' case

A local court in Islamabad has indicted rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case stemming from a contentious social-media post. The couple appeared before Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka, denied the charges and were directed to ensure their presence, along with prosecution witnesses, at the next hearing.

The court also asked Chattha to resubmit surety bonds and adjourned proceedings until November 5. The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, which alleged the couple tried to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through online content.

According to the first information report, sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, have been invoked, alongside related provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code. Chattha was arrested outside the court in an earlier hearing after skipping proceedings, and later produced before the judge.

The article recalls previous run-ins with the law: in October 2024, both were detained over an alleged security risk during the England cricket team’s visit after a video showed road barriers being moved; and in 2023, Mazari was arrested in a sedition case, then re-arrested in a separate terrorism case before securing bail weeks later.

Their legal team says the latest indictment criminalises legitimate speech and will be contested at trial. Rights groups have urged authorities to avoid using cyber-crime laws to chill dissent and to handle such disputes in line with constitutional protections for expression.