By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, heard petitions seeking the suspension of sentences for Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband Advocate Abdul Hadi Ali Chatha. A two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan took up the case and requested details from the petitioners’ counsel regarding the progress made so far in the Islamabad High Court.
During the proceedings, Advocate Faisal Siddiqui offered to read the court’s initial order, prompting Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan to inquire about subsequent developments. The counsel replied that the Islamabad High Court had made no progress on the matter. Justice Afghan remarked on the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction in such situations, questioning whether it must remain a passive spectator while awaiting high court action, and offered a postponement until the next day if the counsel required time to prepare. The lawyer cited two Supreme Court precedents, after which Justice Afghan observed that the court needed solid legal grounds to proceed. The state counsel informed the court that the high court would schedule the case after the judicial vacation. The hearing was subsequently adjourned until the following day, i.e. Thursday August 20.
In their petitions, Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha stated that the Supreme Court had previously directed the High Court to decide the matter within two weeks. Although the prosecution had raised objections regarding the maintainability of the suspension requests, the High Court dismissed those objections yet issued notices to the parties and adjourned the hearing indefinitely without executing the Supreme Court’s order.
Justice Assam Khan of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had earlier presided over the case, where counsel for the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) argued that the suspension petitions were premature and requested that their separate application be heard first. Advocate Faisal Siddiqui expressed readiness to argue both matters jointly, but Justice Khan advised thorough preparation for the clients’ benefit. The High Court subsequently rejected the NCCIA’s application and deferred the matter indefinitely, prompting the petitioners to approach the Supreme Court again seeking an expedited hearing.
Background
Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chatha were sentenced under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) by an Islamabad Session Court.
On January 24, 2026, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka handed down a total sentence of 17 years in prison alongside a fine of Rs 36 million each across various provisions. The NCCIA had registered the case in August 2025 under PECA Sections 9, 10, 11, and 26A, alleging that the couple used social media to disseminate content against state institutions and national security while promoting the narrative of banned outfits. Islamabad Police arrested them on January 23, 2026, while they were traveling to court in a High Court Bar vehicle, transferring them to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
During the final hearing via video link, the defense lawyers and the accused boycotted the proceedings over alleged mistreatment and a denial of defense rights, after which the court released a detailed 22-page judgment. Meanwhile, the Islamabad Bar Association wrote letters to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court requesting urgent medical care for the incarcerated couple and early scheduling of their sentence suspension petitions.
Acting President Iram Javeed and other bar representatives expressed grave concern over Imaan Mazari’s serious health conditions and the inadequate detention facilities, emphasizing that access to proper medical care is a fundamental constitutional right. The Bar Association requested directives for jail authorities to provide immediate and continuous medical treatment while urging the courts to fix the suspension petitions promptly to serve the ends of justice.