Islamabad ATC directs authorities to allow Imaan, Hadi to meet their legal team in jail

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has directed jail officials to permit lawyers for human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to meet with them in prison. The couple has raised concerns over their access to legal counsel and the fairness of their proceedings in a case related to the removal of security barriers and alleged incitement to public unrest.

The couple was charged on October 7, with the case concerning the alleged disruption of a security route for an international cricket team. On October 10, the anti-terrorism court dismissed the couple's plea to drop the terrorism charges. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra ordered Advocates Riasat Ali Azad, Zainab Janjua, and Aimal Khan to meet the accused in jail.

Imaan's mother, former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari, attended the hearing alongside the lawyers, while the couple participated via video link. The defense requested an adjournment, citing challenges in communicating via video link and questioning the fairness of the proceedings. The judge emphasized the need for a fair trial and inquired about the treatment of proceedings conducted before the accused joined via video link.

The prosecutor informed the court that nine witnesses remained to be produced, but the judge directed the prosecution to ensure the accused had access to their lawyers. Hadi objected to the method of proceedings and raised concerns about privacy during consultations with their lawyers, citing cameras installed in the designated meeting area at the jail.

The court adjourned further proceedings until October 14, and the anti-terrorism court took exception to contradictory reports submitted by Adiala jail authorities regarding Imaan's production in separate cases.