ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court decided on Monday to indict for yet another time ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz loyalist Nehal Hashmi on March 26 on contempt charges and hinted that it might hand down an exemplary judgement this time.

The apex court had on Feb 1 sentenced the former PML-N senator to one-month imprisonment, barred him from holding public office for the next five years and imposed a fine of Rs50,000 for his May 28, 2017 outburst in which he appeared to have threatened members of the SC-appointed Joint Investigation Team and the judiciary for probing allegations of corruption against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members in the Panama Papers case.

But soon after his release from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, Mr Hashmi uttered contemptuous and derogatory words against judges of the superior judiciary while addressing his supporters and the media.

Subsequently, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took exception to the contemptuous statement and ordered playing the video clips twice in the courtroom and decided to initiate another contempt proceeding against Mr Hashmi on March 6.

At the last hearing on March 7, the Supreme Court had asked Mr Hashmi to submit a written reply.

Apex court hints at handing down exemplary judgement this time

Short of tendering an unconditional apology, Mr Hashmi had in his reply argued that no incriminatory material was available on record and no specific allegation was established against him that he had committed contempt of the court.

After a thorough perusal of the video clips played in the courtroom, the reply explained, it was crystal clear that all the proceedings against him had been initiated on the basis of serious misunderstandings and no case of contempt had been made out against him.

Mr Hashmi also recalled how during the last hearing the court had asked about cancelling his licence to practice as a lawyer and when he replied that it involved bread and butter of his children, the court observed that “Iska bandobast bhi wohi kareyga jis kay liye naray lagatay ho” (They will take care of you for whom you raise slogans).

The reply contended that it was clear that the judge had made up his mind against Mr Hashmi. The former senator said he belonged to a middle class “Syed” family and for the past 30 years had been affiliated with social welfare and human rights organisations and involved in politics with the PML-N.

“No one can dare say I receive money from my party, party head or any other person in any shape. I am a worker of PML-N and my ancestors also belong to the same party and that I am not a purchasable commodity,” he said.

About cancellation of his licence, Mr Hashmi said his wife, who was a working woman and a doctor by profession and always supported him, had assured him that she would continue to support him and that his son and daughter, also students of law, had extended their support by stating that they would arrange their academic expenses by themselves instead of burdening him.

The court, however, said the reply was not satisfactory, with Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, a member of the bench, regretting that Mr Hashmi was maligning the court.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2018