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SC Deadline Missed: IHC Adjourns Sentence Suspension Pleas for Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha
The Islamabad High Court has adjourned the sentence suspension hearings for human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha until June 4 due to the absence of state prosecutors. The delay means the IHC has officially blown past the Supreme Court's May 26 deadline to rule on the couple's appeals against their controversial 17-year PECA cyber-terrorism convictions.
ND
by News Desk
2026-06-01
SC Deadline Missed: IHC Adjourns Sentence Suspension Pleas for Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha

Detailed Report

  • The Missed Legal Deadline: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday adjourned the highly anticipated hearing for the sentence suspension petitions of human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha. The delay occurs despite a strict, legally binding directive from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which explicitly mandated the high court to resolve and finalize the couple's suspension pleas within a two-week window that officially expired on May 26.

  • The Structural Breakdown in Court: The proceedings, presided over by IHC’s Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, ground to a halt due to the absence of two out of the three members representing the state's special prosecution team. The sole attending prosecutor informed the bench that one colleague was traveling from Lahore, while another was tied up in a separate courtroom before the IHC Chief Justice. Justice Khan expressed visible frustration, noting that he had intentionally bypassed his own scheduled mediation training session at 8:30 AM specifically to prioritize this case, reminding the state of its absolute obligation to comply with apex court orders. Following a request from defense counsels Advocate Riasat Ali Azad and Faisal Siddiqui to prevent further stalling tactics, the court officially rescheduled the matter for Thursday, June 4.

The Severity of the Sentences: The high-profile lawyer couple has been behind bars since January following their arrest during a protest outside the IHC. Just 24 hours after their initial detention, a sessions court handed down a combined 17-year prison sentence under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, breaking down the convictions into distinct, severe cybercrime blocks:

PECA Statutory Section Criminal Charge Basis Imposed Prison Term
Section 10 Cyber Terrorism (alleged narrative alignment with hostile entities) 10 Years' Imprisonment
Section 9 Glorification of an Offence via social media networks 5 Years' Imprisonment
Section 26-A Dissemination of false, fake, or fabricated information 2 Years' Imprisonment

  • The Path to the Apex Court: The controversy roots back to an initial August 2025 complaint filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), accusing Imaan Mazari of propagating anti-state narratives on digital platforms, while her husband was implicated for sharing and reposting the targeted material. After the IHC admitted their criminal appeals in February but refused to immediately suspend their sentences, the defense team moved an emergency application under Article 185(3) of the Constitution before the Supreme Court. A three-judge apex bench consisting of Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Justice Shafi Siddiqui ruled that the case would remain pending before the highest court until the IHC fulfills its constitutional duty to rule on the immediate suspension of the couple's jail terms.
Tagged:

#ImaanMazari #HadiAliChattha #IHCNews #SupremeCourtPakistan #PECACase #HumanRightsLawyers #IslamabadCourts #BreakingNewsPakistan
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