News Desk: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad has rejected police’s request for a 30-day physical remand of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, and sent the couple to jail on judicial remand.
The development came hours after the Supreme Court suspended their sentences in a separate social media posts case and granted them bail.
Islamabad ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain issued the order after police produced Imaan and Hadi before the court in connection with a case registered at Kohsar Police Station.
The couple were arrested again shortly after their release from Adiala Jail. According to reports, Islamabad police officials, led by the SSP Operations, reached the jail and took them into custody in connection with the Kohsar case before presenting them before the ATC later at night.
Former federal minister Shireen Mazari confirmed the fresh arrests, saying efforts were being made to keep the couple behind bars.
Imaan’s lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, also confirmed that a large contingent of Islamabad Police had taken the couple to Kohsar Police Station.
The case was registered at Kohsar Police Station on March 22, 2025, following a complaint by City Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio.
The FIR accuses Imaan and Hadi of raising anti-government slogans and obstructing roads. Both were nominated in the case.
At the time the FIR was registered, however, no provision of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) had been included.
The charges initially invoked included Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code for disobeying a lawful order issued by a public servant, Section 341 concerning wrongful restraint, Section 506 relating to criminal intimidation, Section 353 concerning the use of force against a public servant, and Section 186 for obstructing a public servant in the performance of official duties.
Supreme Court Suspends Sentences
Earlier, the Supreme Court suspended the sentences handed down to Imaan and Hadi in the social media posts case.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard their appeals against the Islamabad High Court’s earlier decision declining to suspend their sentences.
The Supreme Court also granted the couple bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each and directed that they be released while their case remains pending before the Islamabad High Court.
Couple Had Been Sentenced to 17 Years
On January 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a combined 17 years in prison over multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).
The couple had already been detained a day earlier in another case.
Their convictions drew criticism from sections of the legal community and international rights observers, who raised concerns over the proceedings and the sentences.
