Contempt case: Nehal Hashmi asks Supreme Court for forgiveness

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nehal Hashmi asked the Supreme Court on Monday for forgiveness in a contempt of court case against him.  

As the hearing went under way today, where Hashmi's indictment was expected, the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar played the video clip of the PML-N leader's latest controversial remarks against the judiciary. 

In response to Hashmi's plea for forgiveness, the chief justice remarked, "how can you appeal for leniency," adding that if he [chief justice] was in Hashmi's place, he would have drowned in shame. 

The court then summoned bar representatives to give their input, to which lawyers' leader Rasheed A Rizvi said the legal fraternity is ashamed.

The hearing was then adjourned until tomorrow. 

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. Later, the court took another notice of his controversial post-jail release media talk.

At the last hearing of the case on March 12, the apex court had dismissed Hashmi's response as unsatisfactory and decided to indict him.

Second contempt notice

At an earlier hearing, the video of Hashmi's post-prison-release media talk was played, in which a visibly charged Hashmi had said he had been made a victim of revenge for standing by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

After initially denying to have made the statements, the PML-N leader had said he was ashamed.

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar had termed regrettable the remarks uttered by Hashmi for judges following his release from Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, on February 28.

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'.