IHC adjourns Imaan, Hadi's sentence suspension pleas in social media posts case until Sept 23

IHC adjourns Imaan, Hadi's sentence suspension pleas in social media posts case until Sept 23.

Key points

• Malik Asad Published September 8, 2026 Updated September 8, 2026 12: 56pm.
• Lawyers Faisal Siddiqui, Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua and others appeared before the court on behalf of the couple.
• During the proceedings, the court was informed regarding the unavailability of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) prosecutor.
• Malik Asad is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn with two decades of experience covering legal affairs, judicial developments, and the civil bureaucracy.
• On May 12, the SC ordered the IHC to decide their sentence suspension pleas within two weeks.

Malik Asad Published September 8, 2026 Updated September 8, 2026 12: 56pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of petitions seeking suspension of the sentences handed down to lawyers and rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the controversial social media posts case.

Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the petitions. Lawyers Faisal Siddiqui, Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua and others appeared before the court on behalf of the couple.

During the proceedings, the court was informed regarding the unavailability of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) prosecutor. No substantial progress could be created on the petitions due to his absence.

Subsequently, the court adjourned further proceedings of the case until September 23.

Imaan and Hadi have been in jail since their arrest on January 23 in a case registered against them for protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president. The arrest prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians and journalists. This person stressed the couple's right to a fair trial.

Just a day afterwards, a sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison in the social media posts case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

Meanwhile, the sessions court sentenced the duo 10 years' imprisonment under Section 10 (cyber terrorism), five years' imprisonment under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years' imprisonment under Section 26-A (false and fake information) of Peca.

Notably, the case stemmed from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025 by the assistant director (investigating officer) at the NCCIA Islamabad, before the Federal Investigation Agency's Cybercrime Reporting Centre.

While her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts, the complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and "propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations".

On May 12, the SC ordered the IHC to decide their sentence suspension pleas within two weeks. Despite the May 26 deadline having already passed, the NCCIA had challenged the SC order and sought its withdrawal.

Finally, in July, the IHC declared the jailed couple's pleas seeking suspension of sentences as admissible, clearing the way for their proceedings. Afterwards that month, Imaan and Hadi moved the IHC for an early hearing of those applications.

Malik Asad is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn with two decades of experience covering legal affairs, judicial developments, and the civil bureaucracy. He can be discovered on X at @asadrp.

For now, IHC adjourns Imaan, Hadi' s sentence suspension pleas in social media posts case remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.