During the hearing of the controversial tweets case, the District and Sessions Courts in Islamabad ordered the arrest of Iman Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatha, within 24 hours.
During the hearing, DIG Operations Jawad Tariq appeared in the court. Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majuka remarked that, despite the issuance of arrest warrants, why were they not arrested? The judge, while making strong remarks on the non-appearance of the accused, said that whether the accused are at sea or in the sky, they should be arrested and produced; the court should comply with the warrant in any case.
The court said that if the warrant is not executed, contempt of court proceedings will be initiated. The court had summoned the DIG Operations and the Director NCIA in their personal capacity. During the hearing, the NCIA prosecutor appeared, but Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha did not appear in court.
When the hearing resumed, the DIG Operations and the Director NCIA told the court that teams had been formed to arrest the accused, but they were not present at the address and were deliberately hiding.
Raising strong questions about the performance of the police, Judge Afzal Majuka said that if arrests were not possible in Islamabad, what would happen in other provinces?
The court also expressed anger over the absence of the prosecutor and directed that the arrest warrant be executed immediately.
The court, while issuing fresh arrest warrants for Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha, ordered the DIG Operations to ensure their arrest under the supervision of an SP-level officer and gave them 24 hours to complete the case. The hearing of the case was adjourned.
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