Imaan, husband rearrested after SC bail

Hours after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in the controversial social media posts case, lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested again and sent on judicial remand by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday night. ATC judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain in his order rejected Investigation Officer (IO) request for granting 30 days physical remand of Imaan and Chattha. "Investigating Officer through instant application requested for grant of 30-days physical remand of accused persons named above for the purpose of investigation and recovery. Record transpires that accused persons are nominated in FIR with allegation that they were member of unlawful assembly but no weapon has been ascribed to them in the contents of FIR. Therefore, instant request does not appear plausible, the same is turned down. Both accused are hereby sent to Judicial Custody for 14-days," the order issued by the ATC judge read. "Accused be again produced before the Court on 01.10.2026. IO is directed to submit Report u/s 173 Cr.PC within stipulated time. Attendance of accused persons is dispensed with till submission of Challan. Superintendent Central Prison, Rawalpindi is directed to ensure attendance of accused person through video link," it added. The re-arrest of both lawyers came after a division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim suspended their sentences in a case involving social media posts. "For the reasons to be recorded later on, while granting leave in both the petitions, the same are converted into appeals and are accepted. The operation of impugned judgment 24.01.2026 passed by learned Additional Sessions Judge/Presiding Officer Prevention of Electronic Crimes Court/Model Criminal Court, Islamabad-West in PECA Case No.137935 is suspended and both the petitioners (being practicing Advocates) are ordered to be released on bail till decision of their pending appeals before the Islamabad High Court subject to their furnishing personal surety bonds in the sum of Rs.2,00,000/- each with Additional Registrar (Judicial) of this Court," the written order said. Renowned lawyer Faisal Siddiqi appeared on behalf of the couple. The couple was arrested on January 23 near an underpass outside the Serena Hotel while travelling to the district courts and was later sent to 14 days' judicial remand by an ATC. The next day, a district and sessions court sentenced each of the two to a combined 17 years' rigorous imprisonment: five years under Section 9 of PECA, along with a Rs5 million fine; 10 years under Section 10, with a Rs30 million fine; and two years under Section 26-A, with a Rs1 million fine. Additional jail terms were prescribed in case of non-payment of the fines. The couple challenged their conviction before the IHC and subsequently filed an application seeking suspension of their sentences pending a final decision on their appeals. As the matter remained pending before the IHC, Faisal Siddiqi, representing Imaan and Hadi, approached the Supreme Court seeking suspension of their sentences. On May 12, the Supreme Court directed the IHC to decide their applications seeking suspension of their sentences. However, despite the passage of four months, the IHC could not decide the applications. Even during Thursday's hearing, the bench raised serious questions about the conduct of the IHC. Justice Afghan wondered that it was strange that the IHC referred to the Supreme Court's May 12 order but did not comply with it. Then, when the case comes before the apex court, a new date is fixed in the high court, he said, adding that the IHC is, in its own way, is preventing the Supreme Court from functioning. Justice Afghan asked what had happened after the Supreme Court's initial order in the case. Additional Attorney General Rana Asad opposed the suspension of Imaan and Chattha's sentences. He told the bench that the high court had given the prosecution a final opportunity and fixed the matter for September 23. He also argued that the IHC was the appropriate judicial forum to seek suspension of the sentences under Section 426. However, the bench was not persuaded and granted bail to both. Imaan's mother Shireen Mazari criticised the rearrest in a post on X. "They actually took them from inside Adiala because we had not yet gone to get them released as paper work was not complete! Once again totally illegal to take somebody from inside the jail in this manner but then there has never been due process observed for Imaan and Hadi," she stated.