Day after dramatic arrest, Imaan and Hadi handed jail sentence in controversial social media posts case

ISLAMABAD: A sessions court on Saturday sentenced lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her spouse Hadi Ali Chattha to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in a case pertaining to social media posts.

The lawyer couple were already on judicial remand at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail after they were arrested in Islamabad in connection with a separate case on Friday.

The written order by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka stated that the “prosecution has been able to prove its case against both the accused” under sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism), 26-A (false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

Hence, under Peca’s Section 9, Imaan and Hadi were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for five years each with a fine of Rs5 million each. If they failed to pay, the two will have to spend one more year of jail.

Under Section 10 of Peca, they were each handed 10 years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs30m each, with an additional two years for each for failure to pay.

Lastly, the couple were sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment each under Section 26-A of Peca with a fine of Rs1m each. The failure to pay the fine will result in being jailed six months each.

The sentences will run concurrently.

The order noted that the convicts were “present in custody in some other case on video link”, adding that they be kept in jail to undergo their sentences.

The court gave both the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows the period of detention to be considered as part of the sentence.

In his judgment, Judge Majoka recalled Sub-inspector Sharooz Riaz’s August 2025 complaint that Imaan “consistently disseminated highly offensive, misleading and anti-state contents on social media”, with the “active connivance” of Hadi.

“She 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.”

The order observed that Imaan’s tweets made between 2021 and 2025 from “portrayed the agenda” of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Judge Majoka stated: “Both the accused persons are advocates by profession and they have fully knowledge that the [sic] Pakistan is not included in the list of terrorist states but they have intentionally in their tweets mentioned the [sic] Pakistan as a terrorist state, which in fact is the agenda of BLA, TTP.”

“Both 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,” the judgment read.

“I 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,” Judge Majoka observed.

The order further noted, “During 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.

“The 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).”

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.

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.

The court did “not agree” 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.

The judge stressed that glorification has been defined in Peca as including “any form of praise or celebration” of proscribed organisations or individuals or groups.

“The 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,” the order stated.

“The 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,” it further highlighted, declaring her as guilty under Section 10 of Peca.

Regarding the charge for spreading false information, the order noted: “There 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.”

Earlier on Saturday, the couple briefly appeared via video link before Majoka’s court in Islamabad. However, court proceedings were disrupted when the couple boycotted the hearing, following which the court reserved its order.

Imaan and Hadi’s arrest on Friday prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians, and journalists, who stressed the couple’s right to a fair trial.

Amnesty International noted the “lack of adherence to due process” and said these were “retaliatory cases aimed solely at silencing Imaan and Hadi for their human rights work and dissent”.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the arrests, terming the case a “tool to harass, intimidate and ultimately muzzle dissent”.

‘Totally illegal’

Imaan’s mother Shireen Mazari, a former human rights minister, reacted to the sentencing by terming it “totally illegal”.

“Their [transfer application] is still pending in [Islamabad High Court] so legally judge cannot pass judgment till [transfer application] is heard,” Mazari contended.

In another post, she said: “They got their pound of flesh [through] an order passed illegally but the emasculated men don’t give a damn. It was always about ‘off with their heads’.”

On the other hand, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar hailed the verdict, quipping on X: “As you sow, so shall you reap!

“The first official and final result of Peca. One should fear God,” he added.

Today’s hearing

At the start of the hearing on Saturday, the court sought compliance with earlier directions regarding 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).

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.

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.

When the judge asked whether the defence wished to begin cross-examination, Imaan questioned whether media representatives were present in the courtroom.

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.

Imaan addressed the judge directly, saying, “You are doing your job … everything is happening because of you.”

The incarcerated lawyer then announced that both she and her husband were boycotting the proceedings.

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.

Following the boycott, the judge directed the court staff to record the entire proceedings and place them on the judicial record.

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.

Subsequently, Judge Majoka announced that he would pass a written order on the defence request and reserved the decision, while the trial remained pending.

The case

The case pertaining to controversial social media posts stems from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025 at the NCCIA in Islamabad.

The NCCIA complaint accused Mazari 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 BLA and TTP.

Judge Majoka issued arrest warrants for the couple on Nov 5, 2025.

Later that month, a court-appointed lawyer for the couple refused to cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses, saying he could not “ask questions dictated” to him.

Subsequently, they were appointed a new lawyer by the court. After multiple hearings and repeated non-appearances, the court cancelled their interim bail on January 14 and days later, reissued arrest warrants for them.

Later, the two challenged their arrest orders before the IHC.

Separately, earlier this week, a case related to a protest by the BYC and dating back to July 2025 emerged against the duo. The IHC had granted them pre-arrest bail in the case.

Separately, on Friday, Imaan and Hadi were arrested by the police in a case over a scuffle outside the IHC in September 2025. They were then sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.