ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed for hearing a petition[1] seeking the closure of former prime minister Imran Khan’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
Meanwhile, a district court in the capital extended the interim bail of the PTI founder’s wife, Bushra Bibi, in a protest case.
According to the cause list issued by the IHC registrar’s office, the petition will be taken up on November 4 by Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir. The court has already issued notices to the PTI founder, the National Cyber Crime Agency, the superintendent of prisons and other relevant officials seeking written responses.
The petition filed by a citizen, Ghulam Murtaza, through Barrister Zafarullah contended that the PTI founder was allegedly broadcasting illegal and provocative messages from his X account while in prison. The petitioner maintained that such an online activity could incite public unrest[2] and undermine law and order. It requested the court to order the removal of all unlawful or disruptive posts and to restrain any future dissemination of similar material.
Meanwhile, the district and sessions court extended the interim bail granted to Bushra Bibi in a case linked to a protest held on November 26. The hearing, scheduled before Judge Chaudhry Amir Zia, was postponed due to his unavailability.
The case, registered at the Ramna police station under multiple sections including the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, accuses the PTI leadership of organising an unlawful assembly and inciting unrest. The court adjourned the hearing until November 15 and summoned the parties to present their arguments.
Imaan Mazari tweet case
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka on Saturday dismissed the objections raised by the defence to the supplementary challan submitted by the prosecution in the controversial tweet case against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatta.
The court also rejected the prosecution’s miscellaneous application seeking voice matching of the accused and fixed October 29 for framing of charges.
During the hearing at the district and sessions court, the assistant counsel for defence lawyer Qaiser Imam informed the court that the lead counsel was engaged in other cases and would appear shortly.
The judge adjourned proceedings for a short break and resumed the hearing at 9:30am.
Upon resumption, Advocate Qaiser Imam appeared on behalf of Imaan Mazari, while Advocate Kifayat Wazir represented co-accused Hadi Ali Chatta.
Prosecutor Muhammad Usman Rana appeared on behalf of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which had registered the case.
Advocate Qaiser Imam presented detailed arguments opposing the supplementary challan, contending that a final challan had already been submitted earlier in the case, leaving no legal ground for an additional submission. He argued that the supplementary challan was “legally inadmissible” since the investigation was considered complete once the final report was filed.
The court had reserved its decision on both the defence’s objections and the prosecution’s voice-matching application earlier in the day.
Later, Judge Majoka announced the verdict, dismissing both requests and scheduling October 29 as the date for the formal indictment of the accused.
The case pertains to a controversial tweet allegedly posted by Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatta, which led the NCCIA to initiate proceedings under cybercrime and related laws.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025
References
- ^ petition (www.dawn.com)
- ^ public unrest (www.dawn.com)