ZUBAIR QURESHI
islamabad
Veteran journalists and members of civil society have expressed concern over the continued delay in the hearing of suspension-of-sentence applications filed by rights defenders Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha
In a petition signed by these voices of freedom of opinion and champions of Human Rights (HR) they have urged the Supreme Court to ensure that the matter is taken up on September 17 without further delay.
The signatories said the delay was particularly concerning in view of the Supreme Court’s explicit direction of May 12, 2026, requiring the Islamabad High Court to decide the matter within two weeks. Despite the direction, they said, the applications remained unresolved while the two rights defenders continued to face incarceration.
They maintained that repeated adjournments had raised questions about the availability of timely and effective judicial remedies, particularly in cases involving individuals who had been engaged in rights-based advocacy.
Among those expressing concern are veteran journalists and civil society members including Hussain Naqi, Farhatullah Babar, Adnan Rehmat, Iqbal Khattak, G.N. Mughal, Waris Raza, Habib Khan Ghori, Fouzia Shahid, Lala, Ayub Jan Sarhandi, Zahid Hussain, Mustansar Javaid, Anwar Iqbal, Ali Ahmad Khan, Mazhar Abbas, Dr Nazir Mahmood, Dr Touseef Ahmed Khan, Nasir Zaidi, Asmatullah Niazi, Munizae Jahangir, Mahnaz Rahman, Sohail Sangi, Nasir Malick, Shafiq Awan, Abdul Sattar, Mohammed Riaz, Ayub Malik, Fauzia Rana and Jamil Ahmed.
The signatories said the prolonged proceedings had implications for constitutional protections relating to liberty, due process and fair trial, as enshrined in Articles 4, 9 and 10-A of the Constitution.
They also highlighted the broader contribution of Imaan Mazari as a lawyer who has represented people facing serious legal and human rights challenges, including victims of blasphemy-law cases, families of missing persons and poor and marginalised people who often lack access to effective legal representation and justice.
They said the continued incarceration and prolonged legal proceedings of rights defenders could have a wider chilling effect on the legal fraternity and independent human rights advocates.
According to the statement, the state and administration of justice should ensure that individuals engaged in lawful rights-based advocacy are not subjected to proceedings that effectively become punitive in themselves.
The journalists and civil society members emphasised that the rule of law was strengthened not merely through the formal availability of legal remedies but by ensuring that such remedies remained accessible, timely and effective.
There is a persistent threat even to the journalists and media persons who raise their voice for Imaan and Hadi in their reports and stories, they regretted.
With the next hearing scheduled for September 17, they urged the Supreme Court to ensure that the suspension applications of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were heard and decided without further delay, saying timely adjudication was essential to uphold constitutional guarantees and the principle of timely justice.
