July 24, 2026
By Hafizullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday July 24, reserved its verdict on objections raised by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) against applications seeking the suspension of sentences awarded to human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the controversial tweets case.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the matter and reserved judgment on the NCCIA’s miscellaneous applications, which argue that the petitions for suspension of sentence are not maintainable.
At the outset of the hearing, the NCCIA’s counsel contended that the applications had been filed prematurely, arguing that such petitions cannot be moved before the lapse of six months. The agency requested the court to hear its miscellaneous application first, saying that if the sentence suspension petitions were taken up beforehand, its objections would become ineffective.
Representing Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, senior advocate Faisal Siddiqui opposed the objection, calling it legally untenable. He argued that the defence had not invoked the legal provision cited by the NCCIA and maintained that the agency could not file a fresh miscellaneous application merely to challenge an existing one. Siddiqui urged the court to hear both matters together and said he was prepared to argue the sentence suspension petitions immediately.
During the proceedings, Justice Azam Khan asked whether either convict had received any remission in their sentence. The NCCIA’s counsel replied that only prison authorities or the appellants’ lawyers could confirm the position. The judge suggested calling for a report from the Superintendent of Adiala Jail, before Siddiqui requested that his arguments be heard first.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Advocate Riasat Ali Azad, counsel for the couple, said the defence had sought suspension of sentence under Section 426 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), while the government’s objections were based on an argument the defence had never advanced.
“The government argued that a sentence can only be suspended if an appeal is not decided within a year, whereas we never claimed that ground. We relied on a Supreme Court judgment showing that such technicalities do not prevent the court from hearing an application under Section 426. We requested the court to hear our application today, after which the judge reserved the verdict on the government’s miscellaneous application.”
Outside the court, former federal minister Shireen Mazari, Imaan Mazari’s mother, criticised the proceedings.
“There seems to be no way forward; the courts are playing a game of football with us, throwing us back and forth. Nothing can be said regarding their release; everything depends on the mood of the rulers, and the state of justice and law is evident to everyone.”
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan reserved the verdict on the NCCIA’s objections and said the court would first decide the agency’s miscellaneous applications before proceeding further on the sentence suspension petitions.