ISLAMABAD – Islamabad ATC indicted Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in a barrier removal case, despite objections from the defence over access to lawyers and case documents.
Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) proceeded with indictment of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in a case involving the alleged removal of barriers, despite strong reservations raised by their defence lawyers.
The proceedings were conducted by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Supra. Dr Shireen Mazari was present in court, along with defence counsel Eamil Khan Mandokhail, Zainab Janjua and other lawyers. Prosecutor Raja Naveed also attended the hearing.
The defence objected to the proceedings, saying the accused had not been given copies of the documents relating to the case. Lawyer Zainab Janjua further told the court that she had been unable to meet her clients despite an earlier court directive allowing her access.
According to Janjua, she had waited outside Adiala Jail for nearly two hours but was not permitted to meet the accused. She therefore asked the court to ensure that Mazari and Chattha were brought before it in person rather than being presented through a video link.
Judge Supra said that reports from the jail authorities had already been submitted to the court. Janjua questioned the arrangement, asking why other inmates were being transported from Adiala Jail while the two accused had not been physically produced.
The accused were eventually presented before the court via video link. The judge then formally framed charges against both of them and directed the prosecution to present its witnesses at the next hearing on October 9.
Chattha objected to the indictment, stating that he had not yet received the necessary case documents. He argued that the court should not frame charges until all procedural and legal requirements had been completed.
Janjua supported the objection, reiterating that neither accused had received the relevant documents or been given proper access to their legal representatives. She maintained that proceeding with the indictment before fulfilling these requirements was legally improper.
Despite defence’s objections, the court proceeded with framing the charges. Judge Supra told Janjua that she was entitled to challenge the decision through the appropriate legal forum.
