ISLAMABAD: Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and spouse, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, were arrested by the police on Friday, allegedly in a case related to an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The couple was arrested from the IHC Bar’s van on its way to the District and Sessions Court in Islamabad from the Bar’s office.
The police confiscated the phones of both Mazari and Chattha and shifted them to the women’s police station. Sources said they have been arrested in the case related to an altercation case outside the IHC.
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the federal capital had rejected the bail applications of Mazari and Chattha in this case on Thursday due to their absence in the hearing.
The case was registered on the complaint of IHC Bar President, Wajid Ali Gilani, over a heated exchange during a protest outside the bar office. Both had filed a pre-arrest bail application in this case.
Reacting to the development, the IHC Bar issued a strike call to protest the “illegal” arrest of Mazari and Chattha.
Besides, the two had also been summoned by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka in the controversial tweets case today. The local court judge had asked Mazari and Chattha to appear at 8.30 today after their repeated absences in the last few hearings.
The two have been booked in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, and were subsequently charged on October 30.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that the couple tried to incite division on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
Additional Magistrate Majoka had issued arrest warrants for the couple earlier this month due to their continued non-appearance. However, their bail was restored by the IHC earlier this week.
IHC Judge Muhammad Azam Khan also restored their right to defense and suspended the order given by Majoka, citing the accused’s failure to appear before the court.
Last month, Mazari and Chattha filed an application in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) expressing no confidence in Justice Majoka and demanding transfer of the controversial tweet case to another court.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more details.
