Nehal’s outburst: SC angry as incomplete text of speech submitted

Hearing of hate speech petition adjourned till August 21

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed displeasure with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) director-general for submitting incomplete transcript of Senator Nehal Hashmi’s incendiary speech.

A three-justice bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, was hearing a contempt of court petition regarding a speech in which Hashmi hurled threats at the judiciary as well as members of the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the Sharif family’s offshore assets.

The senator was subsequently issued a show-cause notice for maligning the judiciary on June 1.

The bench observed that the transcript submitted in the court by Pemra DG Haji Adam was different from the one telecast by private TV channels. It ordered the senator to produce witnesses in his defence on August 21.

The bench also rejected a plea by Hashmat Habib, the counsel for the lawmaker, for grant of further time to submit additional arguments in the case.

Habib requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against private TV channels as well as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

However, the court directed the senator to present witnesses in his defence on August 21, and adjourned the hearing.

During the hearing, the bench examined the material produced by the Pemra director-general, who had been presented as a witness by the prosecutor in the case.

The director-general had submitted CD recordings along with a transcript of Hashmi’s speech in the court and a list of all TV channels that aired it the day it was delivered.

The bench, however, noted that some parts of the speech were missing in the transcript provided by the Pemra DG. The bench then ordered that the recording of the speech should be played during the hearing.



During the hearing, the bench examined the material produced by the Pemra director-general, who had been presented as a witness by the prosecutor in the case.

The director-general had submitted CD recordings along with a transcript of Hashmi’s speech in the court and a list of all TV channels that aired it the day it was delivered.

The bench, however, noted that some parts of the speech were missing in the transcript provided by the Pemra DG. The bench then ordered that the recording of the speech should be played during the hearing.



“The material that has been shown [before the court today] does not contain the elements [of Hashmi’s speech] that amount to contempt of court,” the bench observed after watching the recordings.

Hashmi was charged under Article 204(2), read with Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003. The lawmaker drew the apex court’s ire after he delivered a fiery speech at a private function and threatened to make miserable the lives of the people who “have held the Sharif family accountable”.

The apex court had taken suo motu notice of the speech while the ruling PML-N had suspended Hashmi’s party membership and asked him to resign from the Senate.

Hashmi had, however, retracted his resignation days after submitting it before the Senate chairman – a move condemned by the ruling party which later expelled him for violating party discipline.