The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the plea of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal, who sought the instant acceptance of his apology in a contempt suo motu case.
The decision was made by a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, along with Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Irfan Saadat Khan.
The contempt case against Mustafa Kamal and independent Senator Faisal Vawda originated from their highly critical press conferences held in May. Kamal and Vawda had made contentious remarks against the judiciary, with Vawda asserting that no allegations should be made without evidence and Kamal attempting to discuss ethical standards for judges, suggesting that justice could be influenced or “bought.”
These comments were made in the context of a letter from six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which highlighted concerns about intelligence agency interference in judicial matters. Both politicians also raised issues regarding the dual citizenship of an IHC judge.
Following these press conferences, the Supreme Court took suo motu notice and, on May 17, issued show-cause notices to the lawmakers. In response, Mustafa Kamal offered an unconditional apology, expressing his highest respect for all judges, particularly those of the superior courts. On the other hand, Senator Faisal Vawda did not issue an unconditional apology and requested the court to end the matter, arguing that similar remarks had been made by others without repercussions.
Despite Kamal’s attempt to apologize unconditionally, the Supreme Court decided not to immediately accept his apology, indicating that further proceedings or considerations are necessary to resolve the contempt case.