ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday disposed of appeals filed by lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a security breach case, leaving the Islamabad High Court to decide whether their petitions can proceed.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the couple’s challenges to an Islamabad High Court order concerning proceedings before an anti-terrorism court.
The Supreme Court ruled that the matter had become infructuous before it, saying the Islamabad High Court would determine the maintainability of the petitions.
The decision comes after the couple challenged their convictions by a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court, which on October 29 sentenced each of them to 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of 100,000 rupees under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
The case was registered at Aabpara police station in connection with alleged security-related offences during the visit of an international cricket team to Pakistan in October 2024.
According to the allegations, Mazari and Chattha had interfered in state affairs and posed a security risk during the team’s visit. The proceedings concern accusations linked to their conduct at the time, which remain subject to the legal process.
The couple’s latest appeals form part of a series of legal proceedings and arrests that have kept them in custody for much of the year.
Mazari and Chattha were arrested on January 23 in connection with a separate case registered over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court. They were subsequently sentenced by a sessions court to 17 years in prison on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, in a case relating to controversial social media posts.
On September 17, the Supreme Court suspended their sentences in the social media case and granted them bail against surety bonds of 200,000 rupees each. The relief was granted pending a final decision by the Islamabad High Court in proceedings connected to that case.
However, the couple were arrested again by Islamabad police hours after securing bail, this time in connection with the separate security breach case. They were subsequently produced before an anti-terrorism court.
The police complaint in the protest-related case alleged that the couple had chanted anti-government slogans and blocked roads during the demonstration. The allegations formed the basis of a separate set of proceedings from the case involving their social media posts.
The multiple cases have resulted in overlapping court proceedings, with different charges being considered by separate judicial forums.
Wednesday’s Supreme Court order does not amount to an acquittal or a decision overturning the convictions in the security breach case. Instead, the court disposed of the appeals on the basis that the matter before it had become infructuous, leaving the Islamabad High Court to consider whether the petitions before it are maintainable.
That question is important because the high court’s decision will determine whether the couple’s challenges can be heard further at that level.
The October convictions carry a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment for each accused, in addition to the financial penalties imposed by the trial court. Any further challenge to those convictions will depend on the proceedings before the relevant courts.
The case has attracted attention because of the number of legal proceedings involving the lawyer couple and the different allegations brought against them. The cases include charges under anti-terrorism and cybercrime legislation, as well as allegations linked to a protest.
For now, the Supreme Court’s order shifts the immediate focus to the Islamabad High Court, which is expected to consider the maintainability of the petitions. The legal status of the convictions and the separate cases will depend on decisions in those proceedings.
