The court has taken the strictest legal stand and arrested Iman Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chatha under case, National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The court has cancelled the bail of the accused, expressing its displeasure over their non-appearance and delaying tactics.
The case was registered in August 2025 when Iman Mazari allegedly shared inflammatory content against state institutions on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). According to the state, these statements reflect the narrative of the banned organization, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and an attempt has been made to hold the armed forces responsible for terrorism. The case has included serious provisions of PECA, including Section 9 (glorification of crime), Section 10 (cyber terrorism), Section 11 (hate speech), and Section 26-A (false information). The accused, if convicted under these provisions, can be sentenced to imprisonment for up to 14 years.
During the hearing of the case, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka remarked that the accused were given unusual concessions, but this was responded to with mockery of the judicial system. According to the record, 44 hearings were held in a short period of five months, in which the case was called 104 times, but the accused were absent from the court 53 times.
The court termed this as deliberate obstruction of justice. The judge ordered the DIG Islamabad that “wherever the accused are, whether in the sky or at sea, they should be arrested and produced within 24 hours, otherwise contempt of court proceedings will be initiated.”
State prosecutors claim that Iman Mazari’s narrative is a systematic campaign to create ethnic-linguistic divisions in Pakistan and to undermine the morale of the security forces.
On the other hand, defence lawyers and human rights organizations have termed it as ‘judicial harassment’ and a crackdown on freedom of expression. The accused also expressed their distrust in the trial judge and approached the High Court, where the Islamabad High Court suspended some of the trial court’s orders and gave the accused a final chance to cross-examine the witnesses.
This case is no longer limited to tweets but has become a test of the state’s resolve to maintain ‘anti-state narratives’ and ‘judicial dignity’ in the digital age. The court has made it clear that the law is equal for all and no accused, no matter how influential, will be allowed to hold the judicial process hostage.
Read also: Controversial Tweet: Islamabad High Court grants protective bail to Iman Mazari and her husband
