A local Islamabad court issued non-bailable arrest warrants Monday for human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her spouse, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, concerning contentious social media posts. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka ordered law enforcement to apprehend the couple and present them before the court on September 24th. The warrants relate to a case filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) alleging online statements against the government and security agencies.

The couple’s attorneys promptly submitted a plea to revoke the warrants, which Judge Majoka swiftly rejected. The court proceedings were then postponed until the scheduled appearance date. Prior to the warrant issuance, the court had summoned Mazari and Chattha in response to the NCCIA complaint. The agency’s First Information Report (FIR) accuses the pair of promoting ethnic discord online and implicating security personnel in disappearances within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Charges have been filed under sections 9, 10, 11, and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).