IHC hears Imaan Mazari, Hadi Chattha’s appeals

Summary

• During the hearing, defence counsel Riasat Ali Azad argued that the trial court had framed charges without fulfilling the required legal formalities.
• Justice Minhas observed that the defence appeared unwilling to accept the documents, while Azad responded that the trial court had rejected the applications submitted by the defence.
• Hadi had objected to the framing of charges, saying he had not received copies of the case documents and that the required legal formalities remained incomplete.

AI Generated Summary

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday heard appeals filed by human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, challenging an anti-terrorism court’s decision to frame charges against them in a case involving an alleged security breach and disruption of an international cricket team’s route.

A division bench comprising Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas and Justice Shahrukh Arjumand heard the appeals. The couple has challenged the framing of charges and the inclusion of provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the case.

During the hearing, defence counsel Riasat Ali Azad argued that the trial court had framed charges without fulfilling the required legal formalities. He maintained that the accused had not received copies of the relevant case documents and that the charges were not properly read out in their presence.

Azad questioned the authority of the court that passed the order, arguing that the case had remained before Judge Abual Hasanat Mohammad Zulqarnain from March 12, 2025, until recently. Referring to the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case, he contended that the court where the challan was submitted was authorised to hear the matter.