An Islamabad anti-terrorism court on Monday told jail authorities to let lawyers meet human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in prison, Dawn reported.
The couple were indicted on 7 October. Dawn says the case concerns the alleged disruption of the security route of an international cricket team and incitement to public unrest. On 10 October the same court disposed of their plea to drop the terrorism charges.
Who must be allowed in
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, who heard the case on Monday, ordered that advocates Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua and Aimal Khan be allowed to meet the accused in jail. Imaan's mother, former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari, appeared in court with Azad and Khan. The couple attended by video link.
The defence asked for an adjournment and told the court that the 10 October order was also being challenged in the Islamabad High Court. Sipra said that if the high court accepted that petition, the proceedings in his court would end.
What the couple told the court
Dawn reported that the couple complained their voices were breaking up on the video link. Azad said the defence did not know what had happened or where the alleged incident had taken place, and asked how the case could proceed if they could not meet their lawyers.
The judge noted that anti-terrorism law requires a day-to-day trial and asked how many witnesses were left. The prosecutor said nine witnesses had yet to be produced. Sipra then directed the prosecution to ensure the accused could meet their lawyers.
Hadi objected to not being brought to court in person. Dawn quoted him saying, "This goes against the principles of a fair trial," and saying they had been in jail for eight months. He also said cameras in the jail's meeting area made confidential talks with lawyers difficult, and asked the court to summon them.
Next dates
The court adjourned the case until 14 October.
In a related matter, Sipra questioned two Adiala jail reports about 10 October. Dawn says the jail produced Imaan by video link that day in the security-barrier case, while a report in former MNA Ali Wazir's case said she could not be produced because there was no internet. The judge issued a fresh show-cause notice to the jail authorities and directed them to produce Imaan by video link on 19 October in that case.
