ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday disposed of appeals filed by lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the security breach case, ruling that the matter had become infructuous before it and that the Islamabad High Court would decide whether their petitions were maintainable.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the appeals, which challenged an Islamabad High Court order concerning the couple’s trial court proceedings. The ruling came days after the couple filed appeals in the high court against their convictions in the same case.
On October 29 an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi sentenced Mazari and Chattha to 10 years’ imprisonment each and fined them Rs100,000 each under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The case, registered at Aabpara police station, stems from allegations that the couple posed a security risk by interfering in state affairs during the visit of an international cricket team in October 2024.
Other cases against the couple
Mazari and Chattha have been in custody since their arrest on January 23 in a case registered over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court. A day later, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on several charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act in a case related to social media posts.
On September 17 the Supreme Court suspended their sentences in that case and granted them bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each, pending the final decision in the high court. Hours later, Islamabad police arrested them again in another case and produced them before an anti-terrorism court. According to the first information report, they were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads during a protest.
