Foreign Office ‘does not subscribe’ to judge’s opinion in Imaan Mazari case

The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday stated Pakistan did not “subscribe to the opinion” of the judge who convicted lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hari and her spouse, Hadi Ali Chattha.

In his verdict, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka had noted: “Currently there are four countries designated as terrorist states, which are Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Iran and Syria.”

Asked about that judgment during his weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, FO spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said, “This judgment […] is the view of the learned judge. Pakistan, of course, does not subscribe to this opinion.

“And frankly, this kind of designation does not exist either under the UN (United Nations) or under international law.”

Judge Majoka had made the observation while noting that Pakistan was “not included in the list of terrorist states”.

The UN does not maintain a list of “terrorist states”.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has a “Consolidated List” of individuals, entities and other groups that it subjects to certain measures, such as sanctions, due to various reasons. While it may include certain government-affiliated departments, it does not name any country in its entirety.

Earlier on Thursday, the European Union’s (EU) Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Anouar El Anouni raised concerns over the conviction of Imaan and Hadi.

In a post on X, the EU official said their sentences “over social media activity goes against freedom of expression and independence of lawyers”.

“These are not only key democratic principles but also part of [Pakistan’s] international human rights commitments,” Anouni pointed out.

More to follow