ISLAMABAD — An anti-terrorism court (ATC, a special court that hears terrorism-related cases) has reserved the Imaan Mazari case verdict after the jail trial of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, concluded at Adiala Jail on Tuesday. The court said it will pronounce its decision on October 29.
The couple face a jail trial in a 2024 security breach case. Prosecutors allege they disrupted an international cricket team’s security route, removed barriers from that route, and incited public unrest. They were indicted on October 7.
What happened in court on Tuesday
On Tuesday, both accused recorded statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure — the provision that lets a court examine the accused about the evidence. Final arguments by the state counsel also finished during the same sitting.
Once the trial and those arguments were complete, the ATC reserved judgment and fixed October 29 for the announcement. That date is now the next clear marker for anyone following the Imaan Mazari case verdict.
Parallel challenges in the higher courts
A day before the Adiala hearing, the couple went to the Supreme Court to challenge an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order of October 19 that refused to stay the trial.
Last week, the IHC heard their appeals against an October 10 ATC order. That order had dismissed petitions contesting the framing of charges and the inclusion of terrorism-related provisions. The high court issued notices and said it would decide how to proceed after the parties respond.
Custody, other cases, and how they returned to jail
The couple have been in jail since their arrest on January 23 in a separate matter: a case registered over a protest outside the IHC and alleged manhandling of the high court Bar Association president. Rights bodies, politicians, and journalists criticised that arrest and stressed their right to a fair trial.
A day after that arrest, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA, Pakistan’s cybercrime law) in a social media posts case. Lawyers and United Nations experts widely condemned those convictions.
On September 17, after months of litigation, the Supreme Court suspended those sentences and ordered their release pending the IHC’s final decision on their appeals. The relief was brief: hours later, Islamabad police arrested them again in the security breach case. That case was registered at Kohsar police station on March 22 last year on the complaint of City Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- March 22 last year: Kohsar police register the security breach case on the city magistrate’s complaint.
- January 23: The couple are arrested in the IHC protest and alleged manhandling case; a day later a sessions court hands down 17-year PECA sentences in the social media posts case.
- September 17: The Supreme Court suspends the PECA sentences and orders release; Islamabad police re-arrest them hours later in the security breach case.
- October 7: They are indicted in the security breach case.
- October 10–19: The ATC dismisses petitions against the charges and terrorism provisions; the IHC refuses a stay of trial and, after hearing appeals, issues notices.
- Tuesday / October 29: Statements and final arguments conclude at Adiala Jail; the ATC reserves judgment for pronouncement on October 29.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Imaan Mazari aur un ke shohar Hadi Ali ka security breach case Adiala Jail mein khatam ho gaya hai. Anti-terrorism court ne faisla abhi nahi sunaya, balkay reserve kar liya hai. Yeh faisla 29 October ko sunaaya jayega. Ab logon ko court ke decision ka intezaar karna hoga.
