- Hadi appears in court; Imaan represented by lawyers.
- SC instructed both parties to be heard before the verdict.
- A verdict can be given based on the available record: AAG.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the trial court, hearing a controversial social media posts case against Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, to re-record witness statements within three days.
IHC Judge Mohammed Azam Khan issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Mazari, challenging the trial court’s November 19 order. Chatha appeared in court, while Mazari was represented by her lawyers.
“The merit is not being considered. We are directing the trial court to re-record the testimonies of the witnesses within three days.” […] The Supreme Court has directed us to decide the matter at the earliest,” Justice Azam Khan said during the hearing of the case.
Defense lawyer Riasat Ali told the court that the Supreme Court had ordered that both sides be heard before making a decision.
During the hearing, the deputy attorney general said that all records were present before the court and argued that the testimonies recorded so far had legal validity. “All the files are before the court. A verdict can be issued based on them,” he said.
The IHC judge raised questions about the trial procedures and the presence of legal representatives. “If Imaan Mazari was not present in court, was his lawyer present?” Justice Azam Khan asked.
The court also sought clarification on the timeline for re-recording the testimonies. “How long will it take to re-record the testimonies?” Judge Azam Khan asked the defense lawyer.
Lawyer Riasat asked for more time and said Faisal Siddiqui would present arguments on the merits. “If we are to hear the matter on merits, we need time. Faisal Siddiqui will present the arguments,” he said.
Justice Azam Khan ordered the case adjourned till tomorrow and asked Faisal Siddiqui to appear for arguments.
Meanwhile, the high court last week issued directives to stop the trial of lawyer Mazari and her husband in the controversial tweets case.
A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard and accepted Mazari’s plea against the Islamabad High Court verdict that had dismissed the lawyer’s plea seeking to stay the trial in the court of additional sessions judges.
The court, in its verdict, said that the trial in this case should be stayed until the decision of the IHC.
Mazari and Chattha were booked in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 and were subsequently charged on October 30.
