ISLAMABAD: Lawyers’ representative bodies in the federal capital have called for an early hearing and decision on appeals filed by lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha against their convictions, saying the delay was denying them their constitutional right to a fair trial.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday, office-bearers of the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC), Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) and Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) called for an expedited hearing of the appeals.

IBC Vice-Chairman Asif Irfan said the judiciary was the institution responsible for resolving disputes between the state and citizens over fundamental rights, but he alleged the judiciary appeared to have failed to perform this role. He said lawyers had always stood at the forefront of upholding the Constitution and had never sought court verdicts through mob pressure.

Neither Imaan Mazari nor Hadi Chattha ever asked them to secure a ruling through such means, he said.

On January 24, rights lawyers Imaan and Hadi were sentenced by an Islamabad sessions court to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

Following their convictions, which were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts, the couple challenged their convictions before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on February 7.

IBC Member Aleem Abbasi alleged that the trial of Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha was conducted hastily. Although appeals against their convictions were filed in the Islamabad High Court, he alleged that delaying tactics were being employed to stall the hearing.

He said the Supreme Court was subsequently approached which directed the high court to schedule the appeal within two weeks. However, he said, four months had passed without the SC’s order being implemented.

Mr Abbasi said regardless of the nature of the alleged crime, the accused or the convict had the right to a free and fair trial.

“If the SC’s verdict is not implemented, anarchy will ensue”, he said.

“We can only voice our concerns; we cannot stage a sit-in on Shahrah-e-Dastoor. When the constitutional amendment was passed, we warned that it would impact the judiciary”, he said.

President of District Bar Association Naeem Gujjar said eight months had passed since the conviction of Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha, yet their appeal had not been heard.

“We simply want the appeal to be heard in accordance with the Constitution and the law,” he added.

“While Ms Mazari and Mr Chattha are not above the law, they must be granted their constitutional rights; the right to a fair trial is being denied even in a minor offence,” he said. He warned if the public confidence in the courts were to erode, the rule of political parties would eventually collapse.

“Laws are often flouted when parties are in power. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should take note of the situation in the country; after all, prime minister, you too have faced the courts in the past,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026