ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday instructed the trial court handling the case related to disputed social media posts involving human rights activist Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to re-record the statements of prosecution witnesses within three days.
The order was issued by Justice Mohammed Azam Khan during proceedings on a petition filed by Mazari, in which she challenged the trial court’s November 19 decision to record testimony from all prosecution witnesses. On that date, Chattha appeared before the trial court, while Mazari’s legal team marked her attendance. Despite this, the court had directed the prosecution to continue examining its witnesses.
Justice Khan observed that the witness testimonies should be recorded afresh and clarified that the matter was being sent back to the trial court without commenting on the substance of the case.
During the hearing, defence lawyer Riasat Ali Azad informed the court that senior advocate Faisal Siddiqui had formally submitted his power of attorney but was engaged in legal matters in Lahore. He requested that the hearing be scheduled after the court vacations.
Azad further noted that the Supreme Court had already ordered an expedited resolution of the case, although it had not set a specific deadline. He added that the apex court had recently suspended the trial proceedings until the IHC decided the pending appeals.
The prosecution, represented by Raja Naveed, maintained that the complete case record had been placed before the court.
In response, Azad argued that the accused were entitled to constitutional safeguards under Article 10A, which guarantees the right to a fair trial. He objected that relevant records had not been properly supplied and said the concern had also been raised in earlier proceedings.
The court also questioned whether the statements of four witnesses had been recorded when one of the accused was absent. The prosecutor replied that the behaviour of the accused was also a factor for consideration.
However, the defence insisted that witness testimony must be recorded in the presence of the accused and requested additional time until Monday.
Following the arguments, the court issued formal directions to the trial court.
