June 3, 2026
By Hafiz Ullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
Strong reactions have emerged from the defense counsel and the family members of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha, following the sudden cancellation by the Islamabad High Court, of the scheduled causelist for the suspension of their sentences and bail applications.
Riasat Ali Azad, a prominent advocate and a key member of the team of defence counsels for Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha, strongly condemned the judicial procedure. During a conversation with Voicepk, he remarked, “Everyone knows who is behind the system, and the same formula is being applied here. This is precisely why the names of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha were completely omitted from the newly issued causelist for the hearing. The list was scheduled for tomorrow Jun 4, but it was suddenly cancelled, and everyone knows the reason, this is a failure of the judicial system. The underlying reason is that powerful quarters do not want their case to be fixed or their voices to be heard.”
The lawyer added that the legal team will now hold a detailed consultation with Imaan’s mother, former federal minister Dr. Shireen Mazari, to make a definitive decision on whether or not to approach the Supreme Court for further recourse.
Expressing profound grief and indignation over the prolonged incarceration of her daughter and son in law, Dr. Shireen Mazari took to the social media platform X in an emotional post.
“As flies to wanton boys… they kill us for their sport: Shakespeare’s King Lear. 132 days of illegal incarceration for my children @ImaanZHazir & @AdvHadiali thru sham trial & illegal conviction without any due process. Only children of privileged parents, @CMShehbaz & judge Asif can get speedy justice!”, she wrote.
Alongside her statement, Dr. Mazari shared a recent newspaper clipping titled “PM’s daughter, son-in-law acquitted in another graft case.” According to this report, a special court (central) in Lahore, presided over by Judge Ashfaq Ahmed, acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s daughter Rabia Imran and son-in-law Ali Imran Yousaf in a case involving alleged corruption and illegal investment in the Punjab Power Development Company (PPDC). The court ordered their discharge from the case after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted a supplementary reference without sufficient evidence.
The couple, who recently ended their self-exile to return to Pakistan, had also been previously acquitted in the Punjab Saaf Pani Company case. Dr. Mazari juxtaposed this swift judicial relief with the continuous delays faced by her daughter, characterising it as a stark example of selective justice for the powerful.
Further highlighting the issue on social media, Islamabad based court journalist Maryam Nawaz on X, posted. “Islamabad High Court cancelled the causelist for Thursday in Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha’s case. Despite the Supreme Court clear directions to decide the case in two weeks, IHC is delaying Imaan and Hadi’s sentence suspension case. Earlier, the Supreme Court on May 12 ordered IHC to decide on bail of both human rights lawyers in two weeks, which got exhausted on May 26. Justice Azam Khan of IHC hearing the petitions, gave NCCIA an order to appear on Thursday, but instead, prosecution went to the Supreme Court for suspension on May 12 order. Complete circus of the justice system.”