Key Takeaways
- An anti-terrorism court dismissed a petition seeking to drop terrorism charges against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.
- The couple challenged the framing of charges, arguing they were not provided copies of the case record.
- The court ordered an explanation from jail authorities for the accused's absence despite a court order.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad has dismissed a petition seeking to drop terrorism charges against human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to the removal of security barriers for the English cricket team.
The case was initially heard on Tuesday, with both Mazari and Chattha challenging the framing of charges, arguing that they had not been provided copies of the case record or allowed to meet their lawyers.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra was hearing the case, and neither accused was initially produced before the court, leading the judge to direct prosecution and police officials to contact the jail authorities by telephone to ascertain the reason for their non-production.
The judge also ordered the submission of a written explanation via WhatsApp by 11am, and the couple was subsequently produced before the court through a video link.
Advocate Zainab Janjua, representing the Mazari couple, informed the court that they had challenged the framing of charges before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), where their petition was scheduled to be heard on Monday.
However, Judge Sipra observed that the challenge before the high court did not automatically prevent the trial court from proceeding, questioning why the trial had stalled at this stage.
The judge also noted that superior courts had already dealt with related matters and that a show-cause notice had previously been issued.
During the video-link hearing, Chattha told the court that he and his wife respected the judge and had regularly appeared before him, questioning how their right to a fair trial under Article 10 of the Constitution could be compromised.
Advocate Zainab Janjua sought an adjournment, saying senior counsel Riasat Ali Azad was unavailable, but the court proceeded with the hearing.
What does it matter? If the framing of charges is set aside, the entire proceedings will come to an end.
Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, ATC Judge
Why are we not being produced before the court?
Hadi Ali Chattha, Accused
