ISLAMABAD: A state-appointed counsel on Friday cross-examined all prosecution witnesses in a security breach case against lawyers Imaan Zainab Hazir-Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.
Imaan and her husband, Hadi, are facing a jail trial in a 2024 case pertaining to the alleged disruption of an international cricket team’s security route and incitement to public unrest.
The couple, accused of removing barriers from the route, was indicted on Oct 7.
Anti-terrorism court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra presided over the hearing held inside Adiala jail on Friday, during which state counsel Atif Mehmood cross-examined a prosecution witness.
On Saturday, the court will provide Imaan and Hadi with questionnaires under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to record their statements.
In a hearing on Thursday, the court appointed Mehmood as the state counsel to cross-examine the prosecution witnesses, replacing Taimoor Janjua, who was dismissed over his past conduct.
The court had ruled to appoint the state attorney after the defence counsel failed to cross-examine the prosecution witnesses.
During the last hearing, Imaan informed the court that she and Hadi did not need a state counsel as they already had their own lawyers.
Hadi explained that their lawyers were frequently occupied with other cases at the Islamabad High Court (IHC), while the trial court had scheduled daily hearings at Adiala, making it difficult for them to attend every proceeding.
The court had directed the prosecution witnesses to appear again on Friday, affirming that the cross-examination would proceed without further delay.
Imaan and Hadi’s rearrest
The lawyer couple has been in jail since their arrest on Jan 23 in a case registered against them for protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association president. The arrest prompted criticism by rights bodies, politicians and journalists, who stressed the couple’s right to a fair trial.
Just a day later, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in the controversial social media posts case.
The convictions were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts.
On Sept 17, following months of litigation before the courts, the Supreme Court suspended their sentences in the case. The SC ordered their release pending the Islamabad High Court’s final verdict on their appeals against the trial court’s decision.
However, the reprieve was short-lived as hours later, Islamabad police arrested the couple again in connection with another case and produced them before an ATC, which sent them to jail on judicial remand.
The fresh case in which the two were arrested was registered at the federal capital’s Kohsar police station on March 22 last year on the complaint of City Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio.
Imaan and Hadi were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads and were nominated by name in the FIR. However, at the time of registration of the case, no section of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) had been added.
The FIR included sections 188 (disobedience of an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their official duty) and 186 (obstructing a public servant in the performance of official duties).