Court dismisses prosecution’s objection, allowing petitions seeking suspension of prison sentences in the PECA social media posts case to proceed.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has declared maintainable the petitions filed by lawyers and human rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatha seeking the suspension of their prison sentences in the high-profile PECA case.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan announced the reserved verdict, rejecting the prosecution’s miscellaneous application that challenged the admissibility of the petitions. The ruling clears the way for the court to hear the requests for suspension of the sentences on merit.
The prosecution had argued that the petitions were filed prematurely and urged the court to first decide the maintainability issue before considering any relief. However, the court dismissed those objections, allowing the appeals to move forward.
The case stems from allegations involving controversial social media posts, for which an Islamabad trial court convicted both Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Earlier, Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka sentenced both defendants to a cumulative 17 years in prison each. Following the convictions, the two approached the Islamabad High Court seeking suspension of their sentences while their legal challenges remain pending.
During Friday’s hearing, lawyers representing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) reiterated that the suspension requests were not maintainable at this stage of the proceedings. Defence counsel, however, maintained that the petitions were legally valid and should be heard without delay.
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