Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha Granted Bail In Police Scuffle Case

Islamabad – (Web Desk) – An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case involving an alleged scuffle with police.

The couple had been arrested last month by Islamabad police over an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court, with the case registered at Secretariat Police Station.

During the hearing, ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain approved their bail against surety bonds of Rs10,000 each. Their lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, argued that the case was fabricated, claiming the FIR had no basis and that the incident was imaginary. He added that the accused were unaware of the case until recently.

After reviewing the arguments from both sides, the court announced its decision granting bail. However, the couple will remain in custody for the time being, as they have also been convicted in a separate case related to controversial tweets last month.

In a related development, the IHC issued notices to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Imaan and Chattha’s applications against their conviction.

In separate petitions filed in the high court, they had maintained that their convictions were the result of a “patently illegal and arbitrary trial”.

The couple also sought suspension of their sentences and release on bail pending the final decision of the main appeal.

The conviction came just a day after their arrest in the scuffle case last month, when Additional Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka sentenced the husband and wife to a total of 17 years in prison each under different sections related to controversial social media posts.

According to the 22-page written verdict, Mazari and her husband were sentenced to five years in jail each with a fine of Rs5 million each under section 9 of the Peca; sentenced to 10 years each with a fine Rs30 million each under section 10 of the Peca.

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Moreover, the couple was also convicted under section 26-A of the Peca and were sentenced to 2 years each with a fine of Rs1 million each.

The two had been booked by the NCCIA under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 and were subsequently indicted on October 30, 2025.

The first information report (FIR) alleges that the couple attempted to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.