Supreme Court adjourns activists' plea for early hearing in social media case

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday adjourned the applications of rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, who are seeking an early hearing for their criminal appeal. The activists were sentenced to 17 years in prison for controversial social media posts.

Their counsel, Faisal Siddiqi, argued that the Supreme Court had previously directed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide the sentence suspension appeals within two weeks. However, the case was suddenly scheduled for September 8 in the high court, raising concerns it might disappear from the system.

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Don’t worry, we are here. We will be here in the future as long as we are alive.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, heading the two-member bench, observed that the system should be allowed to be "fully exposed." He assured the applicants that the court would remain, stating, "We are here. We will be here in the future as long as we are alive."

Additional Attorney General Rana Asad countered that the high court has its own system for scheduling cases. Justice Afghan suggested it would be better not to seek the Supreme Court's opinion on the high court's system. The AAG noted the high court's annual vacation ends September 6, after which official work resumes. He also argued the applications for sentence suspension were not maintainable.

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The system should be allowed to be fully exposed.