{"id":58341,"date":"2026-01-25T15:07:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T15:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=58341"},"modified":"2026-01-25T18:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:59:24","slug":"imaan-mazari-spouse-damaged-public-trust-in-state-and-its-institutions-including-secority-forces-with-their-tweets-the-court-sentences-both-17-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/imaan-mazari-spouse-damaged-public-trust-in-state-and-its-institutions-including-secority-forces-with-their-tweets-the-court-sentences-both-17-years-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Imaan Mazari &#038; Spouse Damaged Public Trust in State and its Institutions including Secority Forces with their Tweets : The Court Sentences both 17 Years in Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-58344\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Imaan-Mazari-Tweet-Case.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Imaan-Mazari-Tweet-Case.jpg 500w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Imaan-Mazari-Tweet-Case-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Imaan-Mazari-Tweet-Case-218x150.jpg 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>Courtesy : Daily Dawn | Report Malik Asad <\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The District &amp; Sessions Court of Islamabad on Saturday sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to a total of 17 years in prison each and imposed a combined fine of Rs72 million in a case related to a disputed tweet, according to a 22-page written verdict issued by the court.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<div>Prosecutor Barrister Fahad, the state counsel, and witnesses appeared before the court. However, due to an internet issue, Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha could not be presented before the court through a video link. On the request of Adiala Jail authorities, the court granted a 20-minute break.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>After the break, both accused were presented via video link. The judge asked whether cross-examination would begin. At this point, both accused announced a boycott of the court proceedings. Before the hearing concluded, both Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha left the video link.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Judge Afzal Majoka directed the court staff to record the entire proceedings and submit the record. Defence lawyer Ashraf Gujar requested the court to summon the accused in person. The judge responded that they had appeared online, noted that the full record was available, and stated that a written order would be issued on the request.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The lawyer couple were already on\u00a0judicial remand\u00a0at Rawalpindi\u2019s Adiala jail after they were arrested in Islamabad in connection with a separate case on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The written order by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka stated that the \u201cprosecution has been able to prove its case against both the accused\u201d under sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism), 26-A (false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"PlOoEJ7s2B\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/iran-syria-cuba-north-korea-are-designated-terrorist-states-notes-judge-majoka-in-order-against-mazari\/\">&#8220;Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea are Designated Terrorist States&#8221; &#8211; Notes Judge Majoka in Order Against Mazari<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;&#8220;Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea are Designated Terrorist States&#8221; &#8211; Notes Judge Majoka in Order Against Mazari&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/iran-syria-cuba-north-korea-are-designated-terrorist-states-notes-judge-majoka-in-order-against-mazari\/embed\/#?secret=dri4ikbi4B#?secret=PlOoEJ7s2B\" data-secret=\"PlOoEJ7s2B\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Hence, under Peca\u2019s Section 9, Imaan and Hadi were sentenced to\u00a0<mark>rigorous imprisonment for five years each with a fine of Rs5 million each<\/mark>. If they failed to pay, the two will have to spend one more year of jail.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1693559881661-0\" class=\"ad__wrapper__slot clear-both flex justify-center\" data-rendered-classes=\"border-t border-b py-4 my-4 bg-gray-100\" data-name=\"Dawn-Responsive-Middle-Leaderboard\" data-height=\"90px\" data-width=\"728px\" data-selector=\".story__content p:nth-of-type(4)\" data-eager=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"CKSm1Pb2ppIDFVHjDQkdNHoBHA\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1029551\/Dawn-Responsive-Middle-Leaderboard_0__container__\">Under Section 10 of Peca, they were each handed <mark>10 years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs30m each<\/mark>, with an additional two years for each for failure to pay.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Lastly, the couple were sentenced to\u00a0<mark>two years\u2019 rigorous imprisonment each under Section 26-A of Peca with a fine of Rs1m each<\/mark>. The failure to pay the fine will result in being jailed six months each.<\/p>\n<p>The sentences will run concurrently.<\/p>\n<p>The order noted that the convicts were \u201cpresent in custody in some other case on video link\u201d, adding that they be kept in jail to undergo their sentences.<\/p>\n<p>The court gave both the benefit of Section 382-B of the\u00a0Code of Criminal Procedure\u00a0(CrPC), which allows the period of detention to be considered as part of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>In his judgment, Judge Majoka recalled Sub-inspector Sharooz Riaz\u2019s August 2025 complaint that Imaan \u201cconsistently disseminated highly offensive, misleading and anti-state contents on social media\u201d, with the \u201cactive connivance\u201d of Hadi.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe propagated a narrative that aligned with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations and individuals. Her contents incited ethnic hatred, undermined public trust on state organisations and portrayed the armed forces are behind terrorism and forced disappearances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The order observed that Imaan\u2019s tweets made between 2021 and 2025 from\u00a0<mark>\u201cportrayed the agenda\u201d of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).<\/mark><\/p>\n<p>Judge Majoka stated: \u201cBoth the accused persons are advocates by profession and they have fully knowledge that the\u00a0<em>[sic]<\/em>\u00a0Pakistan is not included in the list of terrorist states but they have intentionally in their tweets mentioned the\u00a0<em>[sic]<\/em>\u00a0Pakistan as a terrorist state, which in fact is the agenda of BLA, TTP.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"RzXTAClDTI\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/chairperson-national-commission-human-rights-took-early-retirement-to-avail-lucrative-package-without-her-right\/\">Chairperson National Commission Human Rights Took Early Retirement to Avail Lucrative Package without her Right<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Chairperson National Commission Human Rights Took Early Retirement to Avail Lucrative Package without her Right&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/chairperson-national-commission-human-rights-took-early-retirement-to-avail-lucrative-package-without-her-right\/embed\/#?secret=KMVR4PFqNi#?secret=RzXTAClDTI\" data-secret=\"RzXTAClDTI\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth the accused persons portrayed the armed forces as being responsible for the act of terrorism in the country and alleged that the state and its institutions are working in collusion with the proscribed individuals and organisations,\u201d the judgment read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found both the accused persons have been fully involved in the commission of an offence punishable under sections 9,10,11\/26-A Peca, 2016,\u201d Judge Majoka observed.<\/p>\n<p>The order further noted, \u201cDuring the course of inquiry, it came to light that accused persons are involved in the propagation and dissemination of narratives aligned with the proscribed individuals\/organisations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe content, including tweets, re-tweets, shared and uploaded by the accused persons, expressed solidarity and support for the proscribed organisations (BLA, TTP and Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement) and proscribed individuals (Mahrang Baloch, Ali Wazir and Manzoor Pashteen).\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media w-1\/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven\" data-original-src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1876355\/fear-of-the-people\">\n<div class=\"media__item media__item--newskitlink \"><strong>The judgment referred to five prosecution witnesses produced before the court, including National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Reporting Centre Assistant Director Imran Haider and Riaz.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While mentioning X posts made by Imaan in favour of Mahrang or the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the order noted that several of them had been reposted by Hadi.<\/p>\n<p>The court did \u201cnot agree\u201d with the arguments of the defence counsel that the mere view of the accused about any proscribed individual was not enough to determine them guilty of committing an offence under Section 9 of Peca.<\/p>\n<p>The judge stressed that glorification has been defined in Peca as including \u201cany form of praise or celebration\u201d of proscribed organisations or individuals or groups.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u201cThe said tweets of the accused persons damaged public trust in state institutions, especially law-enforcement agencies and the armed forces, and blamed the state for terrorism and enforced disappearances,\u201d the order stated.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe matter does not rest here. Imaan Zainab Mazari accused claimed that the state runs torture cells and that dehumanisation, alienation and uncalled for crackdown\/violence are the state-standard response to peaceful Baloch voice,\u201d it further highlighted, declaring her as guilty under Section 10 of Peca.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding the charge for spreading false information, the order noted: \u201cThere was no proof with the accused that the state has forcibly disappeared any person but despite that, in number of tweets they claimed that the state is responsible for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier on Saturday, the couple briefly appeared via video link before Majoka\u2019s court in Islamabad. However, court proceedings were disrupted when the couple boycotted the hearing, following which the court reserved its order.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"DJvlnVkV3v\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-rejects-statement-by-the-un-office-of-the-high-commissioner-for-human-rights-on-27th-amendment\/\">Pakistan Rejects Statement by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on 27th Amendment<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan Rejects Statement by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on 27th Amendment&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-rejects-statement-by-the-un-office-of-the-high-commissioner-for-human-rights-on-27th-amendment\/embed\/#?secret=PF6vtBoZFe#?secret=DJvlnVkV3v\" data-secret=\"DJvlnVkV3v\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Imaan and Hadi\u2019s arrest on Friday\u00a0prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians, and journalists, who stressed the couple\u2019s right to a fair trial. Amnesty International noted the \u201clack of adherence to due process\u201d and said these were \u201cretaliatory cases aimed solely at silencing Imaan and Hadi for their human rights work and dissent\u201d. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the arrests, terming the case a \u201ctool to harass, intimidate and ultimately muzzle dissent\u201d.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>At the start of the hearing on Saturday, the court sought compliance with earlier directions\u00a0regarding the production of the accused for cross-examination, which the court had declared as the final opportunity in light of orders issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).<\/p>\n<p>Citing security concerns, police submitted a report stating that it would take five to six hours to transport the accused from jail and requested permission for them to appear through a video link. The court accepted the request and directed that Imaan and Hadi be presented via video link.<\/p>\n<p>However, technical issues, including internet connectivity problems at Adiala jail, delayed the proceedings. After a brief adjournment, Imaan and Hadi finally appeared before the court via video link.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media w-full sm:w-1\/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven\" data-original-src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1952156\/imaan-mazari-hadi-ali-chattha-indicted-in-case-pertaining-to-controversial-social-media-posts\">\n<div class=\"media__item media__item--newskitlink \"><strong>When the judge asked whether the defence wished to begin cross-examination, Imaan questioned whether media representatives were present in the courtroom.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>She then alleged that both she and her husband were being subjected to mistreatment in custody, adding that they were not being provided food or water.<\/p>\n<p>Imaan addressed the judge directly, saying, \u201cYou are doing your job \u2026 everything is happening because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The incarcerated lawyer then announced that both she and her husband were boycotting the proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>In response, Judge Majoka asked whether they no longer wished to participate in the trial and advised them to wait for the verdict. Despite this, both the accused left their seats before the conclusion of the hearing, effectively refusing to take part in further proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Following the boycott, the judge directed the court staff to record the entire proceedings and place them on the judicial record.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7IDaMxyvcm\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/national-commission-on-human-rights-of-pakistan-criticized-for-not-condemning-israeli-aggression-on-civilians-of-gaza\/\">National Commission on Human Rights of Pakistan Criticized for Not Condemning Israeli Aggression on Civilians of Gaza<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;National Commission on Human Rights of Pakistan Criticized for Not Condemning Israeli Aggression on Civilians of Gaza&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/national-commission-on-human-rights-of-pakistan-criticized-for-not-condemning-israeli-aggression-on-civilians-of-gaza\/embed\/#?secret=HxLjb30Ss9#?secret=7IDaMxyvcm\" data-secret=\"7IDaMxyvcm\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Defence counsel Ashraf Gujjar later moved a request for summoning a person relevant to the case. The judge noted that the individual had already appeared online and stated that the entire record would be reviewed.<\/p>\n<p>Subsequently, Judge Majoka announced that he would pass a written order on the defence request and reserved the decision, while the trial remained pending.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The case pertaining to controversial social media posts stems from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025 at the NCCIA in Islamabad.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The NCCIA complaint accused Mazari of disseminating and \u201cpropagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations\u201d, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.<\/p>\n<p>The FIR of the case alleged that the two held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.<\/p>\n<p>It also stated that they had portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against proscribed groups, including the BLA and TTP.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Majoka\u00a0issued arrest warrants\u00a0for the couple on Nov 5, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Later that month, a court-appointed lawyer for the couple refused to cross-examine the prosecution\u2019s witnesses, saying he could not \u201cask questions dictated\u201d to him.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media w-full sm:w-1\/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven\" data-original-src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1957275\/cannot-ask-dictated-questions-court-appointed-lawyer-for-imaan-spouse-refuses-to-cross-examine-witnesses\">\n<div class=\"media__item media__item--newskitlink \" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Subsequently, they were appointed a new lawyer by the court. After multiple hearings and repeated non-appearances, the court cancelled\u00a0their interim bail on January 14 and days later,\u00a0<u>reissued<\/u>\u00a0arrest\u00a0<u>warrants<\/u> for them. Later, the two <u>challenged<\/u>\u00a0their arrest orders before the IHC.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Separately, earlier this week, a case related to a protest by the BYC and dating back to July 2025\u00a0<u>emerged<\/u>\u00a0against the duo. The IHC had\u00a0<u>granted<\/u>\u00a0them pre-arrest bail in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, on Friday, Imaan and Hadi were\u00a0arrested\u00a0by the police in a\u00a0case\u00a0over a\u00a0<u>scuffle<\/u>\u00a0outside the IHC in September 2025. They were then sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"4gKS1HOEZB\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-march-2025\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 March 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 March 2025&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-march-2025\/embed\/#?secret=77vCaykv7p#?secret=4gKS1HOEZB\" data-secret=\"4gKS1HOEZB\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_bottom_ad \"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Courtesy : Daily Dawn | Report Malik Asad The District &amp; Sessions Court of Islamabad on Saturday sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to a total of 17 years in prison each and imposed a combined fine of Rs72 million in a case related to a disputed tweet, according to a 22-page written verdict [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[2633,7977,2842,48,61],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58341"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58341"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58363,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58341\/revisions\/58363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}