DG Pemra to be jailed if submitted incomplete Nehal Hashmi’s speech: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court in sheer displeasure observed ‘if the TV channels have aired the speech more than the material submitted in court, then Pemra DG Haji Adam will be going to jail instead of home’, on Monday while hearing contempt of court case against Nehal Hashmi.

Expressing anger over submission of an incomplete transcript of Senator Nehal Hashmi’s speech threatening the higher judiciary and members of the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) by the director general of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Justice Azmat Saeed remarked, “Stop misleading the court”, according to Geo News.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan observed that the transcript submitted in the court by Pemra DG Haji Adam was different from the one telecast by private TV channels.

DG Pemra presented before the court the list of channels that had broadcasted Hashmi’s speech. “The broadcast of various channels was checked for around one hour. We always take notice ourselves if the speech is against the code of conduct,” he explained to the court.

The top court ordered the former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader to present defence witnesses on August 21 in the case. The SC bench also rejected a plea by Hashmat Habib, the lawmaker’s counsel, for grant of further respite to submit additional arguments in the case.

However, the court adjourned the hearing of the case until August 21, while also summoning witnesses in Hashmi's defence within two weeks.

Earlier this month, Hashmi was charged with contempt of court under Article 204(2) of the Constitution of Pakistan, 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’.