Court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali

By Nadir Baloch

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to controversial tweets against the state and national security institutions.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the case but the couple did not show up. The judge ordered to arrest and produce the couple before the court on September 24.

Earlier, the court had issued summons to both Mazari and Chattha.

Their counsel had filed a plea seeking cancellation of the warrants, but the court rejected the request. The hearing was adjourned till September 24.

It should be remembered that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered a case against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.

According to the FIR lodged by the NCCIA, the couple is allegedly attempting to incite ethnic divisions and glorify terrorism through their social media posts. The FIR further alleged that they held security forces responsible for the issue of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The case against the couple has been registered under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

Earlier, Islamabad’s Secretariat Police had booked 70 lawyers including Imaan Mazari, Intizar Panjhutha, Naeem Panjhutha, Hadi Chatha and others under anti-terrorism provisions on a complaint filed by Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) President Wajid Gilani.

In the FIR, Gilani had stated that more than 150 individuals, including Intizar Panjhutha, Fatahullah Barki, Naeem Panjhutha and Imaan Mazari, allegedly chanted derogatory slogans against the chief justice and the Pakistan Army.

He further alleged that Intizar Panjhutha, Naeem Haider and Mustafeen Kazmi, along with others, assaulted him and attempted to kill him with knives.

The FIR was lodged after young lawyers and IHCBA leaders exchanged heated arguments during a protest in support of Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, who has been barred from judicial work pending a Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decision on allegations concerning his academic credentials.

On September 16, an IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan ordered Justice Jahangiri to refrain from judicial duties until the SJC rules on a petition by Mian Dawood, who has sought the judge’s removal for allegedly holding a fake degree.

During Friday’s protest, lawyers chanting slogans marched from the court premises to IHCBA President Wajid Gilani’s office. As Gilani emerged and headed to his car, some lawyers confronted him and shouted “shame, shame.” Gilani then approached lawyer Intizar Haider Panjhutha, accusing the group of misbehaviour. Young lawyer Fatahullah Barki intervened, chanting “bullying will not be tolerated,” sparking a verbal clash between protesters and bar leaders.