ISLAMABAD – The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested Imaan Mazari and his husband Hadi Ali Chatha after their bails were cancelled.
The duo was arrested near Sarena Chowk when they were going to district courts in a van of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association.
The bar association president and other officials were also present in the van.
The security officials intercepted their vehicles near Sarena Chowk and took them into their custody.
The arrest of activists duo sparked outrage within the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Bar Association, triggering a strike call and intensifying an already controversial legal battle.
The case originated from a complaint filed by IHC Bar President Wajid Ali Gilani, who accused Imaan and Mr Chatha of engaging in a heated verbal clash during a protest staged outside the bar office. Both Mazari and Chattha had moved the courts for pre-arrest bail in the matter; however, their detention prompted the IHC Bar to denounce the arrests as “illegal” and announce a strike in protest.
Adding to the unfolding drama, the two were also summoned on the same day by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka in the high-profile controversial tweets case. The court had directed them to appear at 8:30am after they repeatedly skipped earlier hearings. The case, registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), invokes Sections 9, 10, 11, and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016. The pair were formally indicted on October 30.
According to the FIR, Mazari and Chattha allegedly used social media to incite linguistic divisions, a charge that has drawn massive public attention. Earlier this month, Judge Majoka had issued arrest warrants over their continued non-appearance. However, in a dramatic turn, the Islamabad High Court restored their bail earlier this week.
IHC Justice Muhammad Azam Khan further escalated the standoff by restoring the accused’s right to defence and suspending Judge Majoka’s order that had penalized them for failing to appear. Last month, the controversy took another turn when Mazari and Chattha approached the Islamabad High Court, openly expressing a lack of confidence in Judge Majoka and seeking the transfer of the case to another court.
