The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday adjourned proceedings on the sentence suspension petitions filed by lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the social media posts case until September 23.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard the petitions, while lawyers Faisal Siddiqui, Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua and others appeared on behalf of the couple.
During the hearing, the court was informed that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) prosecutor was unavailable. In his absence, no substantial progress could be made on the petitions, prompting the court to defer further proceedings until September 23.
Imaan and Hadi have been in jail since their arrest on January 23 in a separate case registered over their protest outside the IHC and alleged manhandling of the president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA).
The arrest drew criticism from rights groups, politicians and journalists, who called for the couple to be afforded due process and a fair trial.
On January 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a combined 17 years in prison in the social media posts case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). The sentences included 10 years under Section 10 of Peca for cyberterrorism, five years under Section 9 for glorification of an offence and two years under Section 26-A for false and fake information.
The case originated from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, by an NCCIA Islamabad assistant director before the Cybercrime Reporting Centre. The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while Hadi was accused of reposting some of her posts.
The couple challenged their convictions before the IHC in February and subsequently filed applications seeking suspension of their sentences. In May, the Supreme Court directed the IHC to decide the sentence suspension pleas within two weeks.
The proceedings, however, were subsequently delayed amid objections and requests from the prosecution. In July, the IHC declared the couple’s sentence suspension petitions admissible, clearing the way for their hearing on merits.
Later that month, Imaan and Hadi approached the IHC seeking an early hearing of their applications, arguing that the prosecution’s objections to the maintainability of their petitions had already been rejected.
The latest adjournment means the court will now take up the sentence suspension pleas on September 23.
