An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday dismissed contempt proceedings against officials of Adiala jail in connection with the signing of powers of attorney by lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha. The court, presided over by Judge Tahir Abbas Supra, dropped the case after the powers of attorney (vakalatnamas) for Mazari and Chattha were duly signed.
Earlier, the court had issued a show-cause notice to the Adiala jail superintendent for failing to comply with its orders related to Mazari and Chattha, who are involved in a case registered at the Secretariat Police Station. During a hearing on September 26, the court was informed that the couple could not be produced via video link. Additionally, jail authorities had not provided the signed powers of attorney, and no official appeared before the court at that time.
Following this, the court issued a contempt of court notice to the jail superintendent and questioned why he should not face six months’ imprisonment. In Tuesday’s proceedings, Judge Supra instructed the superintendent to establish clear rules governing the signing of powers of attorney. The judge emphasized the importance of these procedures, stating, “If this is happening with lawyers, what happens to the vakalatnamas of ordinary people?” He acknowledged that while standard operating procedures have been beneficial, issues still arise occasionally.
Judge Supra further remarked that the initial step toward justice begins with the signing of the power of attorney. After these directives, the court disposed of the petition concerning the powers of attorney of Mazari and Chattha.
Meanwhile, the court also heard a case involving allegations of protocol violations and violence against police by the lawyer couple. Lawyers Riasat Ali and Zainab Janjua represented the couple while Mazari and Chattha appeared through video link. The court handed over the challan to the lawyers and announced that charges would be formally framed against the accused during the next hearing. Proceedings were adjourned, with October 6 set as the date for indictment.
In a significant development earlier this month, Mazari and her husband were arrested and returned to Adiala jail on judicial remand by the ATC, just hours after the Supreme Court had suspended their sentences and granted bail in a separate case. The Islamabad police linked their arrest to allegations involving anti-state narrative, incitement, and interference in government affairs.
On the same day, the Supreme Court had suspended their sentences related to controversial tweets and granted bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each, pending the final decision of the Islamabad High Court. In January, a district and sessions court in Islamabad had sentenced both Mazari and Chattha to 17 years in prison under various sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), following their arrest in another case. The couple challenged this sentence at the Islamabad High Court in early February.
Originally, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency had registered an FIR against the couple under Sections 9, 10, 11, and 26 of PECA, accusing them of attempting to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
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