The Islamabad High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of sentence suspension pleas filed by lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial tweets case. The defence urged the court to fix an early hearing date before Eid. The couple hopes for timely relief.
State requests bench transfer
Justice Muhammad Asif heard the matter after the state asked to transfer the appeal to another bench. During the proceedings, the assistant attorney general said a similar case had earlier come before Justice Azam Khan. Therefore, he argued that the same bench should hear this appeal.
However, defence counsel Advocate Riasat Ali Azad opposed the request. He said no identical case was pending in any other court. He also reminded the court that Justice Asif had handled the appeal from the start. The lawyer expressed full confidence in the bench. He again pressed for an early hearing before Eid.
Court seeks clarity and adjourns
In response, Justice Asif asked the state to identify the case pending before Justice Azam Khan. Observers noted that while other matters may exist, this appeal has always remained before the same bench.
After brief arguments, the judge remarked, “Let’s see,” about the request for an early date. The state counsel later said it had no objection to fixing a date. Even so, the court adjourned the hearing without scheduling the pleas.
In a separate development, Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain of the anti-terrorism court granted bail to the couple in two other cases. The court approved bail against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each. These cases relate to an alleged scuffle outside the high court and a protest near the National Press Club. However, their release still depends on the outcome of the pending pleas before the high court.
