A two-member bench led by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the petitions on Thursday and approved bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each. The court also suspended the sentences until the Islamabad High Court decides the appeals.

Lawyer challenges repeated delays

During the hearing, lawyer Faisal Siddiqui presented order sheets from proceedings at the Islamabad High Court. He told the Supreme Court that it had directed the high court on May 12 to decide the sentence suspension applications within two weeks, but repeated adjournments delayed the matter.

Siddiqui also said the high court registrar’s office had rejected an application seeking an early hearing. Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim remarked, “These days, it is the era of surprises.”

Case history and convictions

The Islamabad District and Sessions Court sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha to 17 years in prison each on January 24, 2026, in a case involving social media posts. Their convictions were issued under various sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

The sentences included five years under Section 9, 10 years under Section 10 and two years under Section 26-A. The lawyers challenged the trial court’s decision before the Islamabad High Court on February 7.

High court proceedings remain pending

The Islamabad High Court later declared their sentence suspension applications maintainable. Following the expiry of the Supreme Court’s two-week deadline on May 26, fresh applications were filed seeking an early hearing.