Overview
- The Islamabad High Court issued a reserved verdict on Saturday, July 25, 2026, dismissing the prosecution’s objection and ruling that the couple’s applications to suspend their sentences are legally maintainable.
- The IHC did not suspend the convictions or the combined 17-year prison terms and fines; after its decision the court adjourned further hearing on the suspension pleas indefinitely.
- A trial court convicted lawyer-activist Imaan Mazari and advocate Hadi Ali Chattha in January 2026 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, imposing separate prison terms and multi-million-rupee fines for social media posts the prosecution called an anti-state narrative.
- The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency told the IHC the suspension petitions were premature and has asked the Supreme Court to recall earlier directions that pushed the High Court to decide the matter, creating an inter-court dispute that leaves procedural questions unresolved.
- The ruling keeps alive wider questions about PECA, online speech and fair-trial rights because the couple remain detained pending appeals and the IHC must still hear detailed arguments on whether their sentences should be stayed while those appeals proceed.