ISLAMABAD: The district court in Islamabad cancelled the bail of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a controversial social media posts case after repeated non-appearances and disorderly scenes during the hearing.
The case has been registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016. The accused are alleged to have shared social media content that incited divisions on linguistic grounds and portrayed the armed forces as being involved in terrorism within the country.
The hearing was conducted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammed Afzal Majoka, while Prosecutor Rana Usman represented the state.
At the start of proceedings, neither Mazari nor Chattha appeared before the court. An assistant counsel requested exemption from Mazari’s appearance, stating that Chattha was engaged in a contempt-related matter before the high court.
In this sense, the judge expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of the accused and observed that the exemption request would be considered at a later stage.
He warned that continued non-appearance could result in the revocation of the accused’s right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses. The hearing was temporarily adjourned until noon.
Furthermore, when proceedings resumed, Chattha appeared before the court and informed the judge that Mazari wished to personally conduct the cross-examination of prosecution witness Shahroz.
Judge Majoka directed the defence to proceed without delay, cautioning that failure to do so would lead to the termination of that right. In this case, Islamabad District Bar Association President Chaudhry Naeem Gujjar appeared and requested that the matter be adjourned until Monday.
He assured the court that no further adjournment would be sought and stated that Mazari was unwell but intended to conduct the cross-examination herself. So far, the prosecution opposed the request, urging the court to immediately administer an oath to the witness and proceed with cross-examination.
In this case, the heated exchange then erupted between the prosecutor and the bar president, resulting in chaos in the courtroom. After the break, neither Mazari nor Chattha appeared in court. The prosecutor raised concerns about courtroom conduct and alleged misconduct.
The court further directed that statements of the accused be recorded under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The hearing was adjourned until Friday.
