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Islamabad Court Deletes 'Terrorist States' Line From Mazari Verdict After Clerical Error

Pakistan’s Foreign Office has distanced itself from the struck remark, noting that such a label has no basis in UN or international law.

Overview

  • Judge Afzal Majoka ordered the excision under Section 152 after the NCCIA prosecutor sought correction of what was described as a typing mistake.
  • The removed passage had claimed that Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Iran and Syria were designated 'terrorist states,' a proposition the order deemed vague and unsupported by any authority.
  • The court said its stenographer mistakenly reinserted the sentence at final printing, and a show-cause notice has been issued as part of disciplinary proceedings.
  • A corrected judgment has been placed on the record and sent to the Islamabad High Court registrar, with the underlying PECA convictions of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha unchanged.
  • The Foreign Office said it does not endorse the judge’s earlier observation and described the case as a domestic legal matter in which the defendants have the right to appeal.