IHC declines plea for immediate stay in advocate Iman Mazari, Hadi Chatha in controversial Tweets Case

Islamabad:(Idrees Abbsai) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday declined to grant an immediate stay on trial proceedings in the controversial tweets case involving Advocate Iman Mazari and Advocate Hadi Ali Chatha. Justice Azam Khan announced the reserved order, dismissing the plea for interim relief while issuing notices to the National Counter Terrorism Authority’s Cyber Crime Wing (NCCIA). The case has been fixed for hearing after two weeks.

Earlier, during the hearing, both Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha appeared before the court, accompanied by a large number of Islamabad Bar Council members and lawyers, including Raja Aleem Abbasi and Zafar Khokhar. Advocate Riyasat Ali Azad also appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

At the outset, Justice Azam Khan sought clarity regarding the objections raised against the petition, directing Advocate Riyasat Ali Azad to first address them.

Observing the unusually high number of lawyers present, the judge inquired whether they were all there for the same case, to which Azad responded that it was “a very important matter,” drawing significant interest from the legal fraternity.

Counsel for the petitioners argued that the trial court had failed to conduct proceedings transparently. Reading out the trial court’s order, Azad informed the bench that despite a one-day exemption granted to the accused, the court proceeded in their absence and recorded the statements of four prosecution witnesses on the same day.

During the hearing Justice Azam Khan questioned the purpose of the exemption, noting that exemption from appearance does not halt trial proceedings. “You should have sought an adjournment rather than exemption,” the judge remarked, adding that when multiple accused are involved, the trial may continue even if one is exempted.

Advocate Azad insisted that the right to a fair trial was a constitutional guarantee and that witness testimonies must be recorded in the presence of the accused. He maintained that the trial court was denying the petitioners a transparent trial. “This is not the only case in Pakistan; the court has many others before it,” Azad added, stressing the professional standing of the petitioners and their counsel.

When asked about the proceedings on November 24, Hadi Ali Chatha informed the court that they had promptly filed an application requesting that witness statements be recorded in their presence, but the trial court had dismissed it.

After reviewing the objections and hearing arguments, Justice Azam Khan announced that the order would be issued later.

In the written order released afterward, the IHC rejected the request for immediate suspension of the trial. However, the court removed objections to the petition and issued notices to NCCIA, directing that the case be listed for hearing after two weeks. The petitioners had sought a halt to the trial court proceedings as part of their plea.