Islamabad, October 29, 2025: Rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir’s husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, was arrested outside an Islamabad courtroom on Wednesday in connection with a case related to alleged controversial social media posts.
The arrest came after Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Muhammad Afzal Majoka issued a non-bailable warrant against Chattha, stating that he had “intentionally not appeared in court.” The proceedings were adjourned until tomorrow.
Mazari, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), condemned the arrest, calling it “completely illegal” and accusing the judge of “misconduct.” She claimed that her husband had appeared in court and that there was video evidence proving his presence.
According to the court’s short order, “Today the case was fixed for framing of charge and prosecution evidence. The accused Hadi Ali Chattha has intentionally not appeared in court. Hence, his bail bonds are forfeited and a non-bailable warrant of arrest be issued against him.”
In a video shared by journalist Matiullah Jan, Chattha alleged that although he had attended multiple hearings during the day, the judge had refused to come out of his chambers and had still ordered his arrest. “I am saying to him that I am present — why will you issue my arrest warrant? This is misconduct,” Chattha said in the video.
Several journalists termed the incident “unusual” and “concerning.” Journalist Saqib Bashir said that arrest warrants were typically issued to ensure a person’s presence and were withdrawn once the accused appeared. Journalist Baqi Sajjad described the arrest as a “continuation of the persecution of human rights activists.”
According to the first information report (FIR) registered by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency, Mazari and Chattha were accused of attempting to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and of creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country.
The FIR further alleged that the couple blamed security forces for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and portrayed the military as ineffective against proscribed groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The case has been filed under Sections 9, 10, 11, and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
