IHC to hear Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chatha’s sentence suspension pleas on September 8

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed September 8 for hearing petitions filed by lawyer Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha seeking suspension of their sentences, according to a cause list issued by the court’s registrar office.

Justice Azam Khan will hear the petitions, which were filed in January by Mazari and Chatha after they were convicted by a trial court in a case related to controversial tweets.

The IHC hearing comes a day after the Supreme Court (SC) took up the matter on Wednesday, following the couple’s move to approach it seeking an expedited hearing after the high court left the pleas pending indefinitely, despite an earlier apex court directive to decide the matter within two weeks. A two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard arguments, with counsel Faisal Siddiqui telling the court the IHC had made no progress on the case.

Justice Afghan questioned whether the SC could remain a passive spectator while awaiting high court action, though he noted the court needed solid legal grounds to proceed, after the state counsel said the IHC would take up the matter after the judicial vacation. The Supreme Court hearing was subsequently adjourned to Thursday.

Mazari and Chatha were sentenced on January 24 by an Islamabad sessions court to 17 years in prison each, along with fines of Rs 36 million, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act over allegations of spreading content against state institutions and promoting the narratives of banned outfits on social media. They were arrested on January 23 and remain held at Adiala Jail. The Islamabad Bar Association has separately raised concerns over Imaan Mazari’s health and detention conditions, urging courts to expedite the suspension pleas and jail authorities to ensure she receives medical care.