Imaan Mazari Hadi Ali Chattha granted bail in ATC case

Imaan Mazari Hadi Ali Chattha granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Wednesday. The case relates to an alleged confrontation with police and a public protest.

Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain approved their post-arrest bail. The court set surety bonds at Rs10,000 each. The case was registered at the Secretariat Police Station.

The defence argued that the charges were baseless. State lawyer Ali Azad said the FIR relied on events that did not occur. After hearing both sides, the court decided in favour of the accused.

Separately, the Islamabad High Court took up appeals filed by the couple. They challenged their convictions in a controversial social media posts case.

Justice Muhammad Asif issued notices to the relevant authorities. The court also sought responses on their requests to suspend the sentences.

During the hearing, their lawyer Faisal Siddiqui requested an early hearing date. He said some witness statements were recorded without the accused present. He also pointed out concerns over trial procedures.

The high court said it would fix a date soon. Notices were also issued to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency for reply. The hearing was later adjourned.

Earlier, a district and sessions court had sentenced both to 17 years in prison. The case involved alleged controversial posts on X, formerly Twitter.

Authorities registered the case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act in August last year. The allegations claimed the posts aimed to create divisions and harm state institutions’ image.

The couple had challenged the case in higher courts. They raised concerns about fairness and transparency in the trial process.