An Islamabad district and sessions court began recording the statements of prosecution witnesses afresh in the controversial social media posts case against human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, on Wednesday. The statements are being recorded again in compliance with directives issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) the previous day while hearing a petition filed by Mazari challenging the trial court’s November 19 order. During the hearing on November 19 , Mazari’s lawyer marked her presence while Chattha, too, was not present throughout the entirety of the proceedings. The court, however, had ordered the prosecution to proceed with the witnesses’ testimonies, to which Chatha had objected and questioned how the statements could be recorded in the absence of the accused. Both Mazari and Chattha were present on Wednesday in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka as the process to record the statements of prosecution witnesses was reinitiated. The statements of two prosecution witnesses, Afzal and Shahroz Riaz, were recorded. Meanwhile, the court was informed that the statements of two more prosecution witnesses were yet to be recorded. Following the recording of the statements, Mazari informed the court that she had to travel to Rawalpindi. At that, the court adjourned the hearing till Thursday (tomorrow). The controversy at the centre of the case stems from a complaint filed on Aug 12, 2025 by the assistant director (investigating officer) at the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Islamabad, before the Cybercrime Reporting Centre, FIA, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). The complaint accused Mazari of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations,” while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts. Consequently, an inquiry was initiated, and following its conclusion on Aug 22, 2025, a first information report was registered against the two, alleging commission of offences under sections 9, 10, 11 and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA). They were indicted in the case on October 30.