Imaan Mazari and Husband Challenge 10-Year Sentences in Islamabad High Court
The lawyer couple says the jail trial was secret and unfair, and asks the court to cancel the verdict and grant bail.
ISLAMABAD – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, filed appeals in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday. They are challenging their convictions in the security breach case.
The couple also filed separate applications. They want their sentences suspended while the appeals are heard.
Advocates Faisal Siddiqui, Riasat Ali Azad and Zainab Janjua submitted the appeals for the couple. They argued that the trial court did not meet the basic needs of a fair trial.
The appeals refer to several earlier court decisions on fair trial rights. They also say the jail trial broke Article 10 of the Constitution. According to the lawyers, it was run like a secret trial.
The couple asks the IHC to set aside the verdict of the anti-terrorism court (ATC). They also want to be released on bail until the appeals are decided. The IHC has already given the appeals case numbers.
What the ATC decided
On October 29, an ATC in Rawalpindi sentenced both of them to 10 years in prison. Each was also fined Rs100,000 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
The case was registered at Aabpara Police Station. It claims the couple posed a security risk by interfering in state affairs during an international cricket team’s visit in October 2024.
The court also gave each of them two more years and a Rs50,000 fine under Section 353. Under Section 186, they received one more year and another Rs50,000 fine.
The court gave them the benefit of Section 382. It ruled that all sentences will run together. This means they will serve 10 years in total.
The couple was formally charged on October 7. The case itself was registered on October 25, 2024.
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