Imaan Mazari, Hadi Chattha to face trial at Adiala...

Summary

• An anti-terrorism court has directed lawyers and prosecution witnesses in the case against detained lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to appear at Adiala Jail for the next hearing on Friday.
• ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra also directed the Adiala Jail superintendent to arrange a meeting between Imaan and her lawyer in accordance with the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.
• The court subsequently adjourned the hearing until Friday and directed the defence lawyers and prosecution witnesses to appear at Adiala Jail for the next session.

AI Generated Summary

An anti-terrorism court has directed lawyers and prosecution witnesses in the case against detained lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to appear at Adiala Jail for the next hearing on Friday. The decision came after Islamabad police cited difficulties in transporting the couple to court and proposed holding their trial inside the prison.

ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra also directed the Adiala Jail superintendent to arrange a meeting between Imaan and her lawyer in accordance with the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978. The order followed a complaint by the defence about alleged restrictions and a lack of privacy during an earlier meeting.

Imaan and Hadi are facing charges linked to the alleged disruption of a security route used by an international cricket team and incitement to public unrest. They were accused of removing barriers along the route and were indicted in the case on October 7.a1

The defence has repeatedly sought access to the accused to discuss the case and prepare for the trial. On Wednesday, their lawyers boycotted the proceedings after the court decided to record prosecution witnesses’ statements despite their request for a delay until they could meet their clients.

During Thursday’s hearing, defence lawyer Aimal Khan Mandokhail submitted an affidavit describing the difficulties he allegedly encountered while meeting Imaan at Adiala Jail. According to the affidavit, he received a certified copy of the court order at 2:52pm on Wednesday and reached the prison at 3:50pm. However, he was allowed to meet his client only at 4:45pm.