ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday issued contempt of court notices to independent Senator Faisal Vawda and MQM-Pakistan MNA Mustafa Kamal due to their anti-judiciary comments.

The case was heard by a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, with Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Isa asked the Additional Attorney General (AAG) if he had listened to Vawda’s press conference. The AAG confirmed he had heard parts of it. The court then inquired if the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) found the content of Vawda’s statements to be contemptuous. Chief Justice Isa noted that commentary on pending cases is permissible, but added that Vawda had said “much more” against him.

The SC issued notices to both Vawda and Kamal, instructing them to appear at the next hearing. The court took suo motu notice of a press conference by Senator Vawda, who demanded evidence of interference in the judiciary.

During the press conference on Wednesday, Vawda criticized Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, stating that 15 days had passed without any details being provided to support claims of judicial interference by security agencies. Vawda emphasized the need for evidence to be presented in court rather than merely making accusations.

Vawda called on IHC judge Babar Sattar to provide evidence of interference and urged the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to intervene. He stressed the importance of protecting the country from both external and internal conspiracies and stopping the targeting of state institutions.

The following day, Kamal held a press conference where he demanded the enforcement of the dual citizenship law across all national institutions.