Supreme Court Issues Notices and Adjourns Imaan and Hadi's Suspension Plea to July 21

Overview

• A three-member Supreme Court bench heard the petition on Monday and issued notices to the Additional Attorney General and other respondents before adjourning the matter to July 21.
• The petition asks the apex court to suspend the combined 17-year sentences handed down under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act while the appeal remains pending at the Islamabad High Court.
• Counsel for the defendants told the Supreme Court that the IHC had been ordered on May 12 to decide the suspension pleas within two weeks but that the high court later fixed hearings and then cancelled a cause list without relisting the matter.
• The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has challenged the Supreme Court's earlier May 12 timeline, creating a dispute over whether the IHC must act on the order or the apex court should step in.
• The case highlights wider questions about how Pakistan's courts handle urgent interim relief in online speech cases and directly affects two lawyers who face immediate jail terms unless suspension is granted.