This week, for yet another time, a Supreme Court order expired at the gates of a prison. The administration overruled the Supreme Court’s bail orders for Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha late Thursday evening with a hitherto unknown FIR, reportedly carrying a terrorism charge inked in by hand.

The young couple are well-regarded in legal and rights circles. They were known for taking up cases few others would be willing to touch. That, precisely, is what seems to have irked some in the corridors of power, which led to the two being sentenced last January to 17 years in prison for posting ‘harmful’ content on social media.

They have remained in custody since then.

When the Supreme Court ordered their release on bail, the state swung into action. It discovered a case registered 18 months ago that had never been pursued or consolidated, and activated it hours before they were meant to be released. An Anti-Terrorism Court promptly remanded them to judicial custody.

The sequence of events leaves many questions unanswered. If such a serious terrorism case had been pending against the two lawyers, why was it not pursued for such a long period? And why was it not brought before the Supreme Court’s attention when the decision to allow bail was being made?

Furthermore, the new case pertains mainly to Pakistan Penal Code violations, and it seems the two were only brought before an ATC judge due to a terrorism charge added as an afterthought. The ATCs, which were created to prosecute violent terrorists, seem to have become a general-purpose tool for handling inconvenient people.

The rulers of the day should remember that precedents are being set. If every bail order can be neutralised with a dormant FIR, this tool will invariably be used against any citizen who falls afoul of the state.

The Supreme Court must also decide how far it is willing to allow itself to be subjected to external pressure. If the executive can do with a court order whatever it pleases without any consequence whatsoever, it also exposes the judiciary’s own unwillingness to enforce its writ.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2026

The office of the AJK president has remained vacant since January this year following the death of Barrister Sultan Mahmood. Previously, then-Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar was serving as acting president. The role was then assumed by incumbent Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq after he was elected speaker on August 25.

Under the AJK Constitution, the president is elected by members of the Legislative Assembly by a majority of the total membership, in the manner prescribed by law.

The nomination papers were received by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal, who is also the returning officer for the presidential election.

The PML-N has fielded 62-year-old former minister Dr Najeeb Naqi, whose nomination was proposed by senior PML-N leader and former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider and seconded by AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani.

Meanwhile, the PPP nominated 78-year-old Akbar for the office, with his nomination proposed by former minister Deevan Ali Khan Chughtai and seconded by fellow legislator Sardar Mukhtar Ahmed Abbasi.

The PML-N hopeful arrived at the Election Commission office accompanied by his proposer and seconder, as well as several other PML-N legislators, including the party’s regional president, Shah Ghulam Qadir.

Haider and Gillani first posed for photographs with the nomination paper as they appeared to formally hand it over to the CEC.

Subsequently, several other PML-N legislators, including the party president and ministers, also posed with the same nomination paper, standing alongside the CEC and appearing to hand it over to him in a similar manner.

Akbar was also accompanied by several PPP legislators, who posed for photographs during the submission of his nomination papers.

Both nomination papers were declared valid after scrutiny.

Candidates may withdraw their nomination papers by 11:30am on Sept 23 (Wednesday), while polling will be held at the AJK Assembly Secretariat from 10am to 1pm on Sept 24 (Thursday), followed by the counting of votes and announcement of the result on the same day.

Last month, polls were held across the region for seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

The elections in the region, originally scheduled for July 27, were divided into phases over security concerns amid unrest in the region. The first phase was held on July 27, the second on Aug 2 and the third on Aug 10.

The third phase was originally meant to cover all of Poonch Division, which comprises 11 constituencies, including three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district.

However, the AJK Election Commission announced that polling would only go ahead as scheduled in Bagh and Haveli because of concerns over the law and order situation.

In the direct elections to 38 constituencies, the PML-N secured 25 seats while the PPP won 12. The lone MLA-elect of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party also joined hands with the PML-N.

The PPP alleged widespread rigging in the polls, with the party also ramping up its criticism of the ruling PML-N.

On August 24, the PML-N bagged five seats while the PPP won two of the seven reserved seats that were up for grabs in the assembly. Newly elected members of the AJK Legislative Assembly were administered the oath of office by Akbar that same day.