SC adjourns hearing on Imaan, Hadi's plea against IHC decision on sentence suspension

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the controversial social media posts case against Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, senior lawyers and well-wishers celebrated incarcerated Imaan’s birthday outside court premises.

On January 24, rights lawyers Imaan and Hadi were sentenced by an Islamabad sessions court to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

Imaan and Hadi last month sought an early hearing of their challenge to a February 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision in the social media posts case. In that order, the court had denied their plea for the suspension of their sentences while issuing notices on it.

After the SC on July 6 issued notices on the couple’s pleas for an early hearing, a three-judge SC bench led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar took up the applications on Tuesday.

The SC postponed further hearing of the petitions since IHC had fixed Imaan and Hadi’s case on July 24. Justice Mazhar observed that the SC cannot regulate the proceedings of the high court.

Upon Justice Mazhar’s remarks, Advocate Siddiqui contended that the court had been issuing orders to the high courts in several cases. However, the bench responded that there was a difference between regulating and issuing orders.

During the hearing, the additional attorney general told the bench that the case in the IHC has been scheduled for hearing on July 24, while Siddiqui argued that the case was scheduled due to the hearing in the SC.

The couple’s lawyer pointed out that the previous hearing was also postponed on the request of the prosecution.

Siddiqui requested the court to hear his arguments on the legal point of admissibility or to adjourn the case for two weeks. However, the court remarked that such an adjournment would be tantamount to monitoring the IHC’s proceedings.

The SC, while adjourning the hearing, ruled that if an emergency arises, the lawyers can file a petition for an early hearing.

Meanwhile, senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi, who represents Imaan and Hadi, cut a chocolate cake after the SC hearing on the occasion of the former’s birthday.

Former minister and Imaan’s mother Shireen Mazari, right activists Afrasiab Khattak, Farhatullah Babar and Tahir Abdullah, and several lawyers were also present.

The case

The controversy at the centre of the case stems from a complaint filed under Peca on Aug 12, 2025 by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency’s (NCCIA) Islamabad assistant director (investigating officer).

The NCCIA complaint accused Mazari of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts.

The FIR of the case alleged that the two held security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

It also stated that they had portrayed the armed forces as ineffective against proscribed groups, including the banned outfits Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka indicted Imaan and Hadi on Oct 30, 2025 and then issued arrest warrants for the couple on Nov 5, 2025.

Later that month, a court-appointed lawyer for the couple refused to cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses, saying he could not “ask questions dictated” to him. Subsequently, they were appointed a new lawyer by the court.

After multiple hearings and repeated non-appearances, the court cancelled their interim bail on January 14 and days later, reissued arrest warrants for them. Later, the two challenged their arrest orders before the IHC.

Following their convictions, which were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts, challenged their convictions before the IHC on February 7. The high court issued notices on the appeals on February 19.

On April 30, they had moved another application in the SC, seeking an early hearing of their appeals against the convictions.

Imaan and Hadi have been in jail since January 23 — a day before their conviction in the social media posts case — in another case registered over protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president.