Supreme Court suspends PECA conviction of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha, grants interim bail

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday suspended a trial court’s verdict convicting human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatha, granting interim bail to both defense attorneys while their formal sentence suspension application remains pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Why did the Supreme Court intervene in the sentence suspension of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha?

A bench of the apex court, featuring Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, issued the interim relief after observing prolonged procedural delays and inaction by the Islamabad High Court. Justice Afghan expressed strong dissatisfaction over the high court's repeated adjournments, noting that the IHC routinely referenced Supreme Court directives during proceedings without making a final determination on the couple's sentence suspension petition.

The defense team, led by Advocate Faisal Siddiqi, argued that the pair had suffered months of detention due to procedural bottlenecks at the high court level. Under the apex court's ruling, both attorneys are to be released on interim bail from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi pending a conclusive decision by the Islamabad High Court.

What were the original charges and trial court ruling against the defense attorneys?

The legal dispute originates from a January 2026 ruling by an Islamabad district and sessions court, which handed Mazari and Chatha a combined 17-year prison sentence under several sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). Filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the prosecution alleged that social media posts published by the attorneys between 2021 and 2025 promoted anti-state narratives and undermined national institutions.

In response, defense counsel maintained that the posts constituted constitutionally protected speech highlighting enforced disappearances, custodial abuse, and human rights violations, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. International rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders, condemned the rapid trial as flawed, alleging that the defense was systematically denied fundamental due process rights, including the cross-examination of key witnesses.

The Supreme Court's order provides immediate relief, directing the high court to conclude final appeal hearings on the merits without further delay.