ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district court has sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to ten years’ imprisonment each in a case related to controversial social media posts, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
The verdict was announced by District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka. Both accused did not appear physically in court and declined to participate in the proceedings on the day of the decision, despite earlier directions from the high court to complete cross-examination of prosecution witnesses.
As they were already on judicial remand in a separate case, Mazari and Chattha were presented before the court through a video link.
The prosecution team, comprising Barrister Fahad, Usman Rana, and Barrister Mansoor Azam, argued the case, while State Counsel Taimoor Janjua represented the defence. During the trial, the prosecution produced five witnesses and submitted a challan running over 30 pages.
According to the prosecution, the accused shared content on social media that allegedly supported the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and other banned groups, and posted material deemed hostile to state institutions. Several tweets attributed to both individuals were submitted as evidence, along with a speech by Imaan Mazari that the prosecution described as anti-state.
The court awarded five years’ imprisonment to each accused under Section 9 of PECA, and an additional ten years under Section 10.
