ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted Imaan Mazari bail and suspended the 17-year prison sentences of the rights lawyer and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim ordered their release against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each. The relief will remain in place until the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decides the pending matter.
An Islamabad sessions court sentenced Mazari and Chattha on January 24, 2026, to 17 years in prison each under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). They subsequently challenged their sentences before the IHC.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had registered the case over social media posts. The prosecution alleged that the posts sought to create divisions on linguistic grounds and advanced an anti-state narrative.
Read: Imaan Mazari Case: Supreme Court Adjourns Hearing
During Thursday’s hearing, Justice Afghan said the court was preserving the dignity of the two lawyers while directing them to observe courtroom decorum. Additional Attorney General Rana Asad opposed the bail applications and argued that the IHC remained the appropriate forum to decide the suspension of sentence.
The Supreme Court had previously directed the IHC to decide the suspension applications, but proceedings were adjourned several times. The apex court’s September 17 order allows Mazari and Chattha to remain on bail pending the High Court’s final decision.
