Islamabad ATC disposes of plea to drop terrorism charges against Imaan, Hadi in security breach case

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has dismissed a petition seeking to drop terrorism charges against human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to the removal of security barriers for the English cricket team. The court also sought an explanation from jail authorities for not producing the accused in person despite a court order.

Both accused, who challenged the framing of terrorism charges, were initially not produced before the court and did not have their lawyers present. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra ordered the prosecution and police officials to contact the jail administration to ascertain the reason for the non-production. The couple's lawyers argued that their clients had not been provided copies of the case record or an opportunity to meet their lawyers.

Subsequently, the accused were produced before the court via video link, with their lawyer, Zainab Janjua, informing the court that they had already challenged the framing of charges before the Islamabad High Court.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.