Islamabad, October 7,2026: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Wednesday indicted lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a security breach case registered at Aabpara Police Station.
Mazari and Chattha appeared before the court via video link, where ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra framed charges against the two lawyers for allegedly creating a security risk by interfering in state affairs during the visit of an international cricket team in October 2024.
The defence opposed the framing of charges, with Chattha telling the court that he had not yet received copies of the case documents.
“I have not even received the copies yet,” he told the court, arguing that charges could not be framed until all legal requirements had been fulfilled.
Defence counsel Zainab Janjua also argued that neither Mazari nor Chattha had received the required copies and that their lawyers had not been allowed to meet them.
“The court cannot frame charges without fulfilling all legal requirements,” Janjua said.
Judge Sipra told the defence that the decision could be challenged.
The court ordered that Mazari and Chattha be produced in person at the next hearing and adjourned proceedings until October 9.
The lawyer couple has been in custody since their arrest on January 23 in a case registered over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court.
A day later, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in a case related to controversial social media posts.
On September 17, the Supreme Court suspended their sentences after months of proceedings and granted them bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each pending a final decision by the Islamabad High Court.
However, hours after their release, Islamabad police arrested the couple again in connection with another case and produced them before an ATC.
According to the FIR, Mazari and her husband were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads during a protest.
