ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday again issued a contempt of court notice to PML-N leader Nehal Hashmi over controversial remarks against judiciary following his release from jail.
Hashmi, a former senator, was jailed for a month and disqualified for five years by the apex court on February 1 over his contemptuous remarks made last year. Hashmi appeared in court on Wednesday after being summoned by the chief justice a day earlier over his controversial remarks about the judiciary following his release from prison. During the hearing, a video of Hashmi’s latest media talk was played. When Hashmi responded that he was ‘acting’ in front of the media, Justice Umar Ata Bandiyal asked if he was an actor or a politician?
Hashmi swore in court that he could never say contemptuous words about the judiciary. When the video was played again, Hashmi said he was ashamed, to which the chief justice agreed, observing that he too was ashamed of issuing contempt notices to his ‘blackcoat brother’.
When Hashmi pleaded not to be served another contempt notice as ‘he is from a middle-class family’, the chief justice remarked that he had been given a chance earlier.
The next hearing of the case will be held on Monday.
The court has issued notices to vice-chairmen of all bar councils to submit their response by then on the court’s plan to cancel Hashmi’s licence to practice law. During the hearing on Wednesday, PBC Vice-Chairman Kamran Murtaza excused himself from representing Hashmi in the case. Upon release from jail, Nehal Hashmi had launched an attack on NAB. Hearing the case on Tuesday, Chief Justice Nisar had termed regrettable the remarks uttered by Hashmi for judges following his release from Adiala Jail on February 28. The chief justice also observed during the hearing that Hashmi’s punishment term could be extended.
A visibly charged Hashmi had said that was a victim of revenge because he stood with PML-N quaid Nawaz Sharif.
In May last year during the height of the Panama Papers case against Nawaz, Hashmi, in a speech in Karachi, had threatened the ‘enemies of the prime minister, in what was taken to be a veiled reference to the apex judiciary.
Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2018.
