Supreme Court Suspends Sentences of Imaan Mazari, Hadi Chattha
Two-member bench grants bail until Islamabad High Court decides the pending sentence-suspension pleas.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the sentences of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha and granted them bail until the Islamabad High Court reaches a final decision on their pending sentence-suspension applications.
The matter was heard by a two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and including Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. The same bench had earlier adjourned the matter until September 17.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Justice Afghan asked what had happened after the Supreme Court’s earlier direction. Counsel Faisal Siddiqi referred to the court’s May 12 order and read out various IHC order sheets to explain the subsequent proceedings.
On May 12, the Supreme Court had directed the IHC to decide the couple’s sentence-suspension pleas within two weeks while keeping the matter pending before itself.
The defence told the bench that the case had subsequently been adjourned multiple times by the IHC. Most recently, the IHC on September 8 deferred the sentence-suspension proceedings until September 23 after being informed that the NCCIA prosecutor was unavailable.
According to the proceedings provided to Islamabad Tribune, the Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the applications and suspended the sentences, granting bail until the IHC’s final determination of the matter.
Justice Afghan Stresses Courtroom Conduct
Justice Afghan also remarked that both petitioners were lawyers and that the court was maintaining respect for their professional standing. He asked counsel to ensure that they also observe courtroom decorum, noting that a lawyer carries responsibilities different from those of an ordinary litigant.
Mazari and Chattha were convicted by an Islamabad sessions court in January in a case concerning controversial social-media posts and were handed aggregate sentences of 17 years each under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
The Supreme Court’s order suspends the operation of their sentences and grants bail while the IHC proceedings continue; it should not be described as an acquittal or as setting aside the underlying convictions.
