Controversial posts case: IHC rules Imaan, Hadi's sentence suspension pleas admissible

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday declared the petitions filed by human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha seeking the suspension of their sentences in the controversial tweets case as admissible. Justice Muhammad Azam Khan announced the verdict, that was reserved on Friday, and rejected the prosecution’s miscellaneous application seeking the dismissal of the petitions on grounds of premature filing. During the proceedings, the prosecution had maintained that the petitions filed by Imaan and Hadi were premature and therefore not maintainable at this stage. However, after hearing arguments from both sides, the IHC rejected the prosecution’s objection and declared the petitions admissible for hearing. The verdict now clears the way for the please seeking the suspension of the sentences to proceed for hearing. On January 24, rights lawyers Imaan and Hadi were sentenced by an Islamabad sessions court to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). Following their convictions, which were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts, the couple challenged their convictions before the IHC on February 7. The case stems from a complaint filed under Peca on Aug 12, 2025 by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency’s (NCCIA) Islamabad assistant director (investigating officer). The NCCIA complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts. The FIR of the case alleged that the two held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It also stated that they had portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against proscribed groups, including the banned outfits Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).