ISLAMABAD: The court-appointed counsel for lawyer and rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, refused on Tuesday to cross-examine prosecution witnesses in a case linked to alleged controversial social media posts. He said he could not “ask questions dictated” to him.
The counsel further contended that he had not been given sufficient time to prepare for the proceedings. The case was registered by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
Mazari and Chattha face allegations of attempting to stoke divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and of creating the impression that the armed forces were involved in acts of terrorism within the country.
When Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammed Afzal Majoka resumed the hearing in Islamabad, court-appointed defence counsel Advocate Shakeel Jatt told the court he had been contacted only around 4pm the previous day to represent the couple. He added that he had not received the case file in time to prepare adequately.
He also claimed he had been handed “15 questions with instructions to ask them during Monday’s cross-examination,” though he did not specify who had issued those instructions. Addressing Judge Majoka, he said he was told, “You have to do this tomorrow.”
Under these circumstances, he said, he could not proceed.
“I support a fair trial. I cannot ask dictated questions. My conscience does not allow it,” he told the court, emphasising that every accused person is entitled to an impartial trial under the Constitution.
Advocate Jatt requested sufficient time to prepare for cross-examination, saying he could not fulfil his professional duties without properly reviewing the case record.
The judge accepted the request and adjourned proceedings until November 27 (Thursday).
Mazari had earlier alleged that the court had “forcibly appointed state defence counsel” to represent her and Chattha.
The couple were indicted on October 30, a day after Chattha was arrested outside the courtroom for alleged non-appearance — a claim both have disputed. Mazari maintained there was video evidence showing Chattha inside and outside the courtroom.
After his release, Chattha told reporters he had arrived five minutes before the scheduled hearing on October 29, yet the judge had still issued an arrest warrant “to his face.”
