Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari’s husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, was arrested outside the courtroom on Wednesday after a court in Islamabad issued non-bailable arrest warrants for him in the controversial tweet case.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the non-bailable warrants were issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.
It is pertinent to mention that four days earlier, on October 24, the same court had announced that human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, would be indicted in the case on October 29.
Earlier, while pronouncing a reserved verdict, Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka had rejected the objections raised by the couple against the supplementary challan submitted by the prosecution.
The court had also dismissed a miscellaneous application filed by the prosecution seeking a voice-matching test.
During previous proceedings, Imaan Mazari’s counsel, Qaiser Imam, had argued that once a final challan had been submitted, a supplementary challan was unnecessary, citing procedural rules.
After hearing arguments, the court adjourned the matter until October 29.
Earlier on October 16, tensions flared in the Islamabad courtroom during the hearing of the same case when a heated exchange took place between Special Prosecutor Usman Rana and Imaan Mazari before Judge Majoka.
Both Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were present during that hearing. The court had previously appointed a state counsel, Advocate Kifayatullah, to represent Hadi Ali Chattha, while Prosecutor Usman Rana appeared for the state.
The prosecution had also sought permission for a voice-matching test of the accused, which the court accepted for consideration.
The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over a controversial social media post allegedly made by Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.
Reporter: Hashir Warraich