ATC reserves verdict in barrier removal case against Imaan Mazari, Hadi Chattha

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict in the case against human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, over the alleged removal of security barriers during the visit of an international cricket team.

The trial concluded at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. Both accused recorded their statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows an accused to respond to the evidence against them. The state counsel completed final arguments. The court will announce its decision on Thursday, 29 October, at the jail in the presence of the accused.

The prosecution alleges that the couple removed barriers along the security route of the cricket team and disrupted official duties. It has also accused them of inciting public unrest. The case was registered at Kohsar police station on 22 March last year on the complaint of City Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio.

The court framed charges against the couple on 7 October. They objected, saying they had not been given copies of the case record and had not been allowed to meet their lawyers. The court proceeded with the indictment. All seven prosecution witnesses were later examined. The trial was moved to Adiala Jail after disputes over the production of the accused in court and their lawyers' access to them.

The defence lawyers did not cross-examine the prosecution witnesses. The court therefore appointed a state counsel for the purpose. Taimoor Janjua was replaced by Atif Mehmood after objections to the first appointment and conduct. The state counsel completed the cross-examination on 23 October.

The couple has challenged aspects of the trial before the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The IHC heard their appeals on 19 October. It refused an interim order on their petitions seeking removal of the anti-terrorism provisions. It issued notices to the relevant parties on their separate plea to suspend the trial.

On Monday, the couple approached the Supreme Court against the IHC decision refusing to halt the trial. They argued that unless the trial was stayed, their pending application before the high court would become ineffective. They said the trial court had acted in haste and recorded the prosecution witnesses' statements in a single day. They also contended that removing barriers did not amount to terrorism and that the trial aimed to harass them and keep them in jail.

The case is separate from one over social media posts. In January, a trial court sentenced the couple to a combined 17 years in prison under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. On 17 September, the Supreme Court suspended those sentences and granted them bail. Police arrested them again hours later in connection with the barrier case.

After the arrest, ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain rejected a request for 30 days of physical remand and sent them on judicial remand. He noted that no weapon had been attributed to either accused.