ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday indicted Senator Nehal Hashmi during the hearing of contempt proceedings against him.

The apex court took suo motu notice against Mr Hashmi for his uncharitable remarks in which he appeared to threaten judges and members of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing allegations of money laundering against the Sharif family.

Last month, Mr Hashmi was booked in a case after a speech he made on May 28 went viral on social media and was also aired on news channels. In a video recording of the speech, the senator could be heard using threatening language against “those investigating” the Sharif family.

He was Sindh secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) when he made the speech after which he was expelled from the party by its leadership. He was also asked to resign from the Senate. However, he refused to comply with the resignation demand.

Mr Hashmi submitted a 19-page reply through his lawyer Hashmat Habib, telling the court that his speech was aired non-stop by the media, creating a hostile environment for him. He claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan highlighted the speech and presented the remarks made in it out of context. Mr Hashmi believed the incident to be a tactic played by his political rivals, as he “cannot even imagine to slander the judiciary”.

The charges, levelled against Mr Hashmi, state that by way of the speech he threatened judges of the Supreme Court and their families and members of the JIT and their families.

It is stated that the act tends to scandalise the court and bring the authority of the court into hatred, ridicule, disrespect and he obstructed the process of law and due course of proceedings of the Supreme Court, and by doing so, committed contempt of the court.

Mr Hashmi has been informed that he will be tried for contempt of the court.

On July 7, the investigating officer of the case informed a sessions court that Sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 had been added to the FIR against Mr Hashmi since he had threatened and severely criticised members of the JIT and provoked the public against the judiciary.

“Those who have held [the Sharif family] accountable, and those who are doing so, listen with open ears. We wouldn’t spare you. You’re in service today and will retire tomorrow. We will make it difficult for your children, your family, to live in Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by the IO in the report.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2017