IHC Dissolves Bench Hearing Appeals of Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dissolved the bench that was hearing the appeals of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, against their conviction in a controversial social media posts case. The court directed that the case file be placed before Chief Justice Sardar Sarfaraz Dogar for the constitution of a new bench.

A sessions court had previously sentenced Mazari-Hazir and Chattha to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in January. Their sentencing came a day after their arrest in Islamabad in connection with a separate case.

During Monday's proceedings, the appellants' counsel, Riasat Ali Azad, submitted an application seeking an early hearing of the appeals and suspension of the sentences. He argued that although the matter had been taken up on February 19, no effective date had been set for the hearing, which had resulted in the continued incarceration of his clients.

The court was informed that proceedings involving the same appellants had taken place previously, but the lack of a scheduled hearing date had prolonged the process. Justice Muhammad Asif issued the order to dissolve the current bench and instructed that the matter be referred to the Chief Justice for the formation of a new bench to hear the appeals.

The next steps in the case will depend on the constitution of the new bench and the scheduling of further hearings. No additional details regarding the timeline for these proceedings were provided.