The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a petition seeking the suspension of sentences awarded to lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and advocate Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial tweets case, following arguments over parallel proceedings before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Mazari and Chattha were sentenced in January 2026 to a combined 17 years’ imprisonment on multiple charges linked to social media posts that prosecutors argued promoted an anti-state narrative in violation of cybercrime laws.
During the hearing, a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar was informed by Additional Attorney General Rana Asad that the related matter had been fixed for hearing before the IHC on July 24.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the IHC, in an order issued on May 12, to decide the relevant applications within two weeks. The case was subsequently scheduled for hearing on June 4, but proceedings did not take place after the cause list was cancelled.
Counsel for Mazari, Faisal Siddiqi, argued that the matter had been listed before the high court because proceedings were pending in the Supreme Court, adding that an earlier hearing had been adjourned due to the prosecution.
Justice Mazhar rejected the suggestion that the apex court should delay its own proceedings because of the case before the high court, observing that the Supreme Court could not regulate proceedings in the IHC.
Siddiqi requested the court either to hear arguments on the maintainability of the petition or adjourn the matter for two weeks. The bench maintained that such a course could amount to supervising proceedings before the high court.
The additional attorney general argued that the petitioner was effectively seeking Supreme Court oversight of the IHC proceedings, prompting Siddiqi to respond that the matter could instead proceed before the high court.
The bench adjourned the hearing, observing that either party could seek an early hearing if an urgent situation arose.