Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chatta sent to 14-day judicial remand

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad on Friday sent human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatta, to 14-day judicial remand after their arrest earlier in the day.

The order was issued by Special Judge Anti-Terrorism Court-I, Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, after the couple was produced before the court following what their lawyers described as a dramatic arrest from Islamabad in the early hours of the morning.

The accused were presented before the court by Investigation Officer Inspector Nadeem Mughal, along with the case record.

During the hearing, the investigating officer sought a seven-day physical remand of both accused for investigation and recovery purposes. However, after examining the record, the court ruled that physical remand was not warranted at this stage.

“The perusal of record depicts that physical remand does not appear warranted in the instant case,” the judge observed, while ordering that both accused be sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

The court directed that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatta be produced again on February 6, 2026. It also ordered the investigating officer to submit the challan (report) under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code before the next hearing.

Earlier on Friday, Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatta were arrested from Islamabad, prompting concern among legal circles and human rights activists. The arrests were carried out in the early morning hours, after which the couple was taken into custody and later produced before the anti-terrorism court.