Rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir on July 31 submitted an application in the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing of her appeal against the Islamabad High Court’s refusal to suspend her 17-year sentence, imposed on January 24, in the controversial social media posts case.

On July 21, the apex court had adjourned hearing the case as it said that the IHC had already fixed the sentence suspension application for July 24. The Supreme Court also noted that if an urgency arose, they could move an application for an early hearing.

After this, the IHC had said that the petitions filed by Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatta were in admissible.

The latest request, filed by senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi, cites repeated delays despite the Supreme Court’s May 12, directive to the IHC to decide her sentence suspension application as quickly as possible and preferably within two weeks. Subsequent hearings were repeatedly adjourned due to prosecution requests and procedural issues, and no date was set after the IHC dismissed objections to the maintainability of her plea.

Another urgent application was filed on July 27, Mazari and her husband but this was not fixed for hearing before the IHC.