The Imaan Mazari Hadi Chattha case moved forward on Monday, when an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad directed jail authorities to allow the couple’s lawyers to meet them in prison. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra issued the direction after the defence said restricted access was obstructing a fair trial.
The court named three advocates who must be given access, Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua and Aimal Khan, and it directed the prosecution to make sure the meetings take place.
Imaan Mazari Hadi Chattha case: the charges behind the hearing
The case concerns the alleged removal of security barriers placed for the route of an international cricket team, along with alleged incitement to public unrest. The couple were indicted in the case on October 7, after the court rejected defence objections at the framing of charges.
On October 10, the same court disposed of a plea by the couple seeking the removal of the terrorism charges. That order is now being challenged before the Islamabad High Court.
On Monday, the couple attended the proceedings through a video link. Imaan’s mother, former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari, appeared in court along with Advocates Azad and Khan. The defence asked for an adjournment, and it told the judge about the pending high court challenge. The judge replied that if the high court accepted the petition, the proceedings before his court would come to an end.
Counsel Azad pressed a basic point on fairness. The defence, he said, still did not know what had happened or where the alleged incident had taken place.
Video link complaints and a privacy concern in jail
Access was only one of the problems raised. The couple told the court that their voices kept breaking up on the video link, which made communication difficult.
Hadi objected directly to the way the trial is being run. He questioned why the couple are not produced before the court in person. “This goes against the principles of a fair trial,” he said. He told the judge that the couple have been in jail for eight months, and that they are struggling to pursue their own case from inside.
He also raised the privacy of legal consultations. Cameras, he said, have been installed in the area set aside for meetings at the jail. That arrangement, in his view, makes confidential discussion with counsel very difficult. He asked the judge to summon them in person, and to decide whether he and his wife are terrorists.
The judge noted that the anti-terrorism law requires the trial to proceed on a daily basis. The prosecution then told the court that nine witnesses have yet to be produced. After the arguments, the court adjourned the hearing until October 14.
A contradiction in the Adiala jail reports
The judge also took up a separate discrepancy. It concerned two reports filed by the Adiala jail authorities about Imaan’s production through a video link on October 10.
In the security barriers case, the jail authorities did produce her through a video link that day. Yet in another case, involving former MNA Ali Wazir, the same authorities reported that she could not be produced through a video link because the jail had no internet connectivity.
Judge Sipra expressed astonishment at the contradiction, and he questioned how the two reports had been prepared.
Monday’s order is the latest step in a case that Feature Pakistan has followed from the start. The couple’s detention has drawn concern well beyond Pakistan; UN experts have demanded their immediate release. The court has already recorded witness testimonies in the case. In a separate case over social media posts, the Supreme Court granted the couple bail and suspended their sentences.
For now, the practical effect of Monday’s hearing is specific. The couple’s three named lawyers must be allowed into the jail to meet them, and the trial resumes on October 14 with nine prosecution witnesses still to come. (Source: Dawn)
Frequently asked questions
What did the ATC order on Monday?
The court directed jail authorities to allow Advocates Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua and Aimal Khan to meet Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in prison, and it told the prosecution to ensure the meetings happen.
What case are Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha facing?
They face an anti-terrorism case over the alleged removal of security barriers placed for an international cricket team’s route, and alleged incitement to public unrest. They were indicted on October 7, and a plea to drop the terrorism charges was disposed of on October 10.
When is the next hearing in the case?
The court adjourned proceedings until October 14. The prosecution says nine witnesses remain to be produced, while the defence is also challenging the October 10 order before the Islamabad High Court.
