Islamabad, June 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has challenged Pakistan Supreme Court's May 12 order that directed Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide on the sentence suspension pleas of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the social media posts case within two weeks, local media reported.
While the May 26 deadline given by Supreme Court has passed already, the IHC, at the request of the prosecution, adjourned the hearing of Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband's pleas requesting suspension of their sentences, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
The couple was sentenced in the case in January, with subsequent petitions being filed against their conviction in February. More than three months after the pleas were filed, the Supreme Court on May 12 directed the IHC to decide on Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha's petitions in two weeks.
On Monday, the NCCIA requested the Supreme Court to recall and withdraw the order to help protect the "sanctity and independence of the judiciary, maintaining equality among citizens and avoiding discriminatory treatment towards the couple merely on account of being members of the Bar."
The petition filed by the NCCIA stated that no exceptional or extraordinary circumstances have been given by the couple in their earlier plea that requested for an intervention by the SC in a matter pending before the IHC, Dawn reported.
In December last year, the couple approached the Supreme Court, requesting it to set aside IHC’s decision that did not give interim relief in the social media post case.
Now, the NCCIA has argued Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha had invoked the jurisdiction of the SC under Article 185(3) of the Constitution under the pretext of an "order" in which IHC had issued notices to the respondents with an observation that the contentions raised need consideration.
They stated that SC's consistent and long-standing practice of not interfering in matters pending before high courts on the initial/interlocutory stage, except in extraordinary or highly exceptional circumstances.
The sentencing of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in Pakistan has sparked condemnation from the United Nations, international legal bodies, and the country's rights groups, according to a report.
"The critics warn that the case represents a dangerous escalation in the suppression of dissent and legal advocacy in Pakistan. The couple were sentenced in January 2026 by a sessions court in Islamabad under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) for social media posts critical of state institutions," a report in Christian Daily International.
"Rights groups and legal observers have described the convictions as politically motivated and the trial as deeply flawed, raising alarm over shrinking civic space and judicial independence in the country," it added.
Both of them received multiple concurrent sentences of imprisonment totalling 17 years. The court has also ordered them to pay a fine of 36 million Pakistani rupees ($128,830) each.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) stated that it was "deeply disturbed" by the sentencing of Mazari and Chattha and that criminal sanctions for peaceful expression are incompatible with Pakistan’s obligations as per international human rights law. The UN warned that Pakistan is using cybercrime laws to silence dissent and intimidate lawyers.
The sentencing of Mazari and Chattha has sparked protests in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) described the sentencing of the couple as symptomatic of a rapidly worsening environment for activists and lawyers who fight sensitive cases that involve state power, religion, or national security.
Source: IANS
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