IHC grants protective bail to Imaan Mazari, Hadi Chattha in Peca case

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted one-day protective bail to lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in connection with a case over controversial social media posts.

The couple is facing charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca), for allegedly promoting linguistic divisions and portraying the armed forces as being involved in terrorism. Justice Azam Khan stayed their arrest until Tuesday after they challenged the trial court’s orders, arguing that their right to defence had been curtailed and that arrest warrants were issued without fulfilling legal requirements.

Their counsel, Kamran Murtaza, told the court that the couple’s bail had been cancelled twice and fresh arrest orders were issued despite Mazari’s illness. He urged the court to show leniency.

Earlier, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka had directed authorities to secure search warrants and ensure the accused’s arrest, expressing displeasure over delays. However, after being informed that the IHC had granted protective bail, he adjourned the proceedings until Tuesday and ordered that the accused be produced before the sessions court within one hour of their appearance at the IHC.

The case originates from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, alleging that Mazari shared content aligned with banned organisations, while Chattha reposted some of the material. The FIR accused them of blaming security forces for missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and portraying the military as ineffective against militant groups. They were indicted in October last year.