ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday approved post-arrest bail for lawyer and activist Iman Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in a case concerning an alleged altercation with police in the federal capital.
The applications were heard by ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, who approved Imaan and Chattha's bail against surety bonds of Rs10,000 each.
During the hearing, counsel Riasat Ali Azad argued on behalf of the petitioners, saying that the case was fabricated and surfaced suddenly. He maintained that the FIR had no grounds and was based on a fictitious incident. Even those nominated were unaware of the case, he added.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict and later announced approval of the bail pleas.
It may be noted that the couple will remain behind bars despite the bail, as a district and sessions court in Islamabad also convicted them in a separate case of the controversial tweets last month.
In a related development, the IHC issued notices to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Imaan and Chattha's applications against their conviction.
In separate petitions filed in the high court, they had maintained that their convictions were the result of a "patently illegal and arbitrary trial".
The couple also sought suspension of their sentences and release on bail pending the final decision of the main appeal.
The conviction came just a day after their arrest in the scuffle case last month, when Additional Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka sentenced the husband and wife to a total of 17 years in prison each under different sections related to controversial social media posts.
According to the 22-page written verdict, Mazari and her husband were sentenced to five years in jail each with a fine of Rs5 million each under section 9 of the Peca; sentenced to 10 years each with a fine Rs30 million each under section 10 of the Peca.
Moreover, the couple was also convicted under section 26-A of the Peca and were sentenced to 2 years each with a fine of Rs1 million each.
The two had been booked by the NCCIA under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 and were subsequently indicted on October 30, 2025.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that the couple attempted to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
