ATC grants post-arrest bail to Imaan Mazari, husband in police scuffle case

ISLAMABAD: 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 related to an alleged scuffle with police.

The couple was arrested by Islamabad police last month over an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The case was registered at the Secretariat Police Station.

The bail applications were heard by ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, who approved their release on bail against surety bonds of Rs10,000 each.

During the hearing, counsel Riasat Ali Azad argued that the case was fabricated and appeared suddenly without any basis. He said the FIR contained no solid grounds and was built on a fictitious incident, adding that even those nominated were unaware of the case.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict and later announced approval of the bail pleas.

Despite securing bail in the scuffle case, the couple will remain behind bars as they were also convicted in a separate case involving controversial social media posts last month.

Notices issued in controversial tweets case
In a related development, the Islamabad High Court issued notices to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on the couple’s petitions challenging their conviction.

In their petitions, Imaan Mazari and Chattha argued that their convictions were the outcome of an “illegal and arbitrary trial.” They sought suspension of their sentences and release on bail until the main appeal is decided.

The conviction came a day after their arrest in the scuffle case, when Additional Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka sentenced both to 17 years in prison each under different sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

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According to the written verdict, they were sentenced to five years each with a fine of Rs5 million under Section 9, and 10 years each with a fine of Rs30 million under Section 10.

They were also convicted under Section 26-A, receiving two years each with a fine of Rs1 million.

The couple was booked by the NCCIA under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of Peca, 2016. The FIR alleges they attempted to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.