ISLAMABAD: The Assistant Attorney General (AAG) on Friday requested Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Muhammad Asif to transfer the petitions for the suspension of sentence of Imaan Mazari, Advocate, and Hadi Ali Chatha to Justice Azam Khan’s court.
However, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) also granted bail to both accused in two other cases.
Justice Muhammad Asif heard the petitions for the early fixing of the application for suspension of the sentence in the controversial tweets case involving Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha at the IHC.
Lawyer Riasat Ali Azad argued that in the last hearing, the court had said the case would be fixed soon. “Faisal Siddiqui is our lawyer, and he has to come from Karachi. Please give us a date.” Justice Muhammad Asif remarked, “Cases are filed as per the policy. Once the hearings of the cases are over, we will inform you of the date.” Riasat Ali Azad responded, “There is no need for a record in the suspension of sentence case. Our argument is that the trial court cannot change the decision according to the law. It is a firm request to set a date before Eid.” Justice Muhammad Asif remarked, “The sentence is for 10 years. If it were less than seven years, we would have considered it.” Riasat Ali Azad clarified, “We are not asking to set the appeal; we are simply requesting that the case be set for sentence suspension.”
Later, the government requested the transfer of the case to the court of Justice Azam Khan. The Assistant Attorney General said, “Our request is to transfer the case to Justice Azam Khan’s court, as such a case has been under hearing in his court before.” Lawyer Riasat Ali Azad countered the argument by saying, “No such case is pending in another court. Our appeal was heard in this same court from the first day. We have full faith in the bench. Please just give us a date before Eid.”
Meanwhile, Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain granted bail to Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha in two separate cases. The court granted bail to both accused on bonds of Rs 5,000 each.
Of the two cases in which bail was granted, one is related to the alleged fight outside the Islamabad High Court, while the other pertains to the protest outside the National Press Club. In the fight outside the High Court case, an affidavit was submitted on Thursday by the plaintiff, Wajid Gilani, President of the High Court Bar, which was made part of the court’s record.
However, in the controversial tweets case, where Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha have been sentenced, bail has not yet been granted. Due to the lack of bail in this case, it is not possible for both of them to be released. Applications for the suspension of their sentence in the controversial tweets case have not yet been scheduled for hearing in the Islamabad High Court, and as a result, the next stage of the legal proceedings remains pending.
