{
  "id": 16329028,
  "title": "ATC orders Imaan, Hadi to record their statements in security breach case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/atc-orders-imaan-hadi-to-record-their-statements-in-security-breach",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-24T13:30:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2039494/atc-orders-imaan-hadi-to-record-their-statements-in-security-breach-case"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad instructed human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Hazir-Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to record their statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure during their next hearing in a security breach case. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra postponed the hearing until October 26 after the accused refused to record their statements during the Saturday proceedings. Imaan and Hadi are currently facing a jail trial for allegedly disrupting an international cricket team's security route and inciting public unrest, a case stemming from an incident in 2024. Hadi had requested the court to permit the state counsel to record their statements on their behalf, but the judge emphasized that the decision to record statements under Section 342 lies between the court and the accused. The judge warned that non-compliance would be noted in the court's order, and he directed the couple to record their statements at the upcoming hearing. The trial court appointed Atif Mehmood as state counsel to cross-examine prosecution witnesses, replacing Taimoor Janjua, who was removed from the case due to past conduct. The defense filed an application requesting the trial court to postpone delivering a final judgment until the Islamabad High Court ruled on a petition seeking a transfer of the case to another court. The defense also noted that the appointment of state counsel had been contested before the IHC, urging the trial court to defer its final decision until the high court provided its ruling.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday directed human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Hazir-Mazari and her spouse, Hadi Ali Chattha, to record their statements under Section 342 (power to examine the accused) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) at the next hearing in the security breach case. ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, who conducted the proceedings at Adiala jail, adjourned the…",
  "key_points": [
    "Imaan Zainab Hazir-Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha ordered to record statements under Section 342.",
    "Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra postpones hearing to October 26.",
    "Defense seeks final judgment delay pending Islamabad High Court ruling."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}