ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has sentenced human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband, Abdul Hadi Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a case involving the removal of security barriers during the movement of the England cricket team.

ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict after hearing final arguments from the prosecution and defence. The case concerns a confrontation with traffic police in October 2024, when authorities had placed barricades to secure the cricket team’s movement.

According to the court order cited by The Express Tribune, the court convicted both defendants under provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

Court Announces Sentences Under Multiple Provisions

The court convicted Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha under Section 186 of the PPC and sentenced each to one year of simple imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs50,000.

Under Section 353 of the PPC, the court imposed a further two-year sentence of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs50,000 on each defendant.

The court also convicted both under Section 7(h) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, as defined under Section 6(2)(m). Under this provision, each received a 10-year sentence of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000.

The order specified additional imprisonment for failure to pay the fines. It prescribed one month under the Section 186 conviction, three months under Section 353 and six months under the Anti-Terrorism Act provision.

The supplied court-order details do not establish whether the individual sentences are to run concurrently or consecutively.

Defence Sought Delay Pending Court Petitions

Before the verdict, defence counsel Aimal Khan Mandokhail submitted a written application requesting that the court defer its decision until pending petitions before the Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) were decided.

“Until our petitions are heard, the court cannot legally announce its verdict,” Mandokhail argued.

He also informed the court that an application seeking transfer of the case was pending before the IHC.

The court initially adjourned proceedings until 1pm before announcing its decision. Prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain Kayani had completed the prosecution’s final arguments, while the defence presented its submissions.

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Trial Held at Adiala Jail

The verdict followed the conclusion of the trial at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where both defendants recorded their statements and the prosecution completed its arguments.

The ATC framed charges against the couple on October 7 and subsequently recorded statements from all seven prosecution witnesses. The trial was later moved to Adiala Jail amid disputes over the defendants’ production before the court and defence counsel’s access to their clients.

The case stems from a confrontation with traffic police in October 2024. Authorities had placed security barriers in connection with the movement of the England cricket team. Police accused the couple of interfering with official security arrangements, leading to their arrest under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Pakistan Penal Code.

Couple Challenged Trial Proceedings

Earlier in the week, Mazari and Chattha approached the Supreme Court against an IHC decision concerning their request to halt the ATC trial.

In their petition, they argued that continuing the proceedings would render their pending application before the high court ineffective. They also alleged that the trial had moved forward too quickly, leaving them insufficient time to prepare, and that the prosecution witnesses’ statements had been recorded in a single day.

The couple had also approached the IHC earlier in October, seeking suspension of the trial over alleged procedural violations during the framing of charges. They contended that they were not physically present when the charges were framed and had not received copies of relevant documents.

The IHC issued notices to the relevant parties on their plea seeking suspension of the trial proceedings. It also declined to grant interim relief on their petitions seeking removal of the anti-terrorism provisions from the case.

Separate Sentence in Social Media Case

In January, Mazari and Chattha received a combined 17-year sentence in a separate case involving social media posts. The prosecution had argued that the posts promoted an anti-state narrative under cybercrime laws.

The couple subsequently filed applications seeking suspension of those sentences.

On September 17, they were rearrested shortly after the Supreme Court granted them bail and suspended their sentences in the social-media case. They were produced before an Islamabad ATC in connection with a separate case registered at Kohsar Police Station.

The latest verdict concerns the security-barriers case and is separate from the proceedings related to their social-media posts.