ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Saturday disposed of an application filed by lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, challenging the terrorism provisions invoked in a security breach case against them.
The case was registered at Aabpara Police Station over allegations that the couple had interfered in state affairs and posed a security threat during the visit of an international cricket team in October 2024.
Earlier this week, the ATC indicted Mazari and Chattha in the case despite objections from the accused that they had not received copies of the relevant case documents.
During Saturday’s hearing, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra questioned why the accused had not been presented before the court, either physically or through a video link, despite directions for their appearance.
The judge instructed court staff to contact Adiala jail authorities to determine the reason for their absence. As no jail official appeared before the court, the judge sought a report from the prison administration and temporarily suspended proceedings.
The couple was subsequently presented through a video link. During the hearing, Chattha questioned why the two had not been brought before the court earlier.
He said they had learned through newspaper reports the following day that charges had been framed against them.
Judge Sipra responded that the accused had challenged the framing of charges and observed that the high court could set aside the charge if it found that the process had not been conducted properly.
The judge also directed a jail official to explain why the court’s order regarding the couple’s appearance had not been followed.
The court then disposed of the defence application challenging the terrorism provisions, with the judge observing that the plea could not be entertained at the current stage of the proceedings. The application was disposed of without hearing arguments from the defence lawyers.
Defence counsel Zainab Janjua maintained that Mazari and Chattha had not been present during the open-court proceedings, either in person or through video link.
She alleged that the accused were being denied their right to a fair trial. Janjua and the couple subsequently boycotted the proceedings in protest.
The court continued with the trial in their absence and recorded statements from three prosecution witnesses.
Further prosecution witnesses have been summoned for Monday, and the hearing was adjourned until then.
Rearrest of the lawyer couple
Mazari and Chattha have remained in custody since their arrest on January 23 in a separate case registered over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court.
The following day, a sessions court sentenced them to a combined 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in connection with controversial social media posts.
On September 17, the Supreme Court suspended their sentences and granted them bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each pending a final decision by the Islamabad High Court in the case involving their social media posts.
However, the couple was rearrested by Islamabad police hours after securing relief from the Supreme Court in connection with another case and subsequently produced before an anti-terrorism court.
According to the FIR in the separate case, the couple was accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads during a protest.
