- Couple appears before Judge Afzal Majoka amid tight security in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad District and Sessions Court on Wednesday recalled the non-bailable arrest warrants issued a day earlier against human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, after the couple appeared before the court.
The warrants had been issued on Tuesday when the two failed to appear in a case linked to controversial tweets. At the time, a junior lawyer had informed the court that the couple had left for another appearance in Rawalpindi after marking their attendance earlier in the day.
The case was heard by Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka amid tight security, with police deployed outside the courtroom. When the charge sheet was read out, the couple refrained from confirming or denying the allegations. “We will hire lawyers and can respond to the court regarding this after that,” Chattha told the judge, adding that no indictment could proceed until their application for documents was decided.
Earlier, the couple had applied to obtain copies of their written statements recorded under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The section deals with police powers to examine witnesses orally and reduce statements into writing.
Judge Majoka directed the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to provide the requested documents. Initially, the prosecution expressed ignorance about their availability, but once the court began dictating its order, the statements were handed over to the defence.
Senior lawyers, including former Islamabad High Court Bar president Riasat Ali Azad, Islamabad Bar Association President Naeem Gujjar, and former president Qaiser Imam, were also present during the proceedings.
Following receipt of the documents, Mazari and Chattha decided to challenge the trial proceedings up to the stage of framing of charges. Their lawyers sought additional time, which the court granted, adjourning the hearing until October 7.
The development comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Mazari and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar.
Last week, she lodged a grievance letter over “inaction” on her workplace harassment complaint against the IHC top judge. Earlier, on September 11, Justice Dogar had warned Mazari of possible contempt proceedings, remarks that triggered condemnation from multiple lawyers’ bodies and calls for his removal.
Mazari has since approached both the IHC inquiry committee and the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) with complaints against Justice Dogar, keeping the controversy alive within judicial and legal circles.
