ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned until Sept 17 the applications filed by rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, observing that either the court would decide the matter or the applicants would withdraw the case.

A two-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, took up the applications, which were filed through senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi on behalf of the applicants. They sought directives for an early hearing of their criminal appeal challenging the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Feb 19, 2026, refusal to suspend their 17-year sentences in the controversial social media posts case.

The counsel contended that the Supreme Court had earlier directed the IHC to decide the appeals seeking suspension of sentence within two weeks, but the case had now suddenly been scheduled for Sept 8 in the high court.

“Whenever the Supreme Court commences hearing on the applicants’ applications, the high court fixes the matter,” the counsel said, expressing apprehension that the case might disappear from the system since the cause list had not yet been issued by the high court.

At this, Justice Afghan observed that the system should be allowed to be “fully exposed”, adding that the case might disappear from the system, “but we are not.”

“Don’t worry, we are here. We will be here in the future as long as we are alive,” Justice Afghan observed.

Additional Attorney General (AAG) Rana Asad, however, said the high court had its own system for fixing cases and that matters were scheduled accordingly.

Justice Afghan remarked that it would be better not to ask the Supreme Court for any opinion on the high court’s system.

The AAG said the annual vacation of the high court would end on Sept 6, after which it would resume official work. He added that the applications seeking suspension of sentence were not maintainable.

Earlier, on July 21, the Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing in the controversial social media posts case on the grounds that the high court had already fixed the application seeking suspension of sentence in the main appeal for July 24.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2026