ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Saqib Nisar has summoned PML-N leader Nehal Hashmi on Wednesday (today) in his plea against his disqualification as a senator last month on contempt charges. Hashmi was jailed for a month and disqualified for five years by the apex court on February 1 over his contemptuous remarks made last year. On Tuesday, the court also summoned the transcript of Hashmi’s media talk after his release from Adiala Jail on February 28. During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that the court had taken a position on the matter, observing that Hashmi’s prison term could be extended over the remarks he made following his release from the prison. The chief justice termed regrettable the remarks uttered by Hashmi for judges. On his release from the prison, Hashmi had said that was made a victim of revenge for standing by his party’s quaid Nawaz Sharif. Earlier during the hearing, the apex court dismissed Hashmi’s plea for constitution of a larger bench to hear his appeal against disqualification. Contempt proceedings had been initiated against Hashmi last year after he delivered a fiery speech targeting the apex judiciary following former prime minister NAwaz Sharif’s ouster in the Panama Papers verdict. Published in Daily Times, March 7th 2018.