ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday accepted the unconditional apologies of Senator Faisal Vawda and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Mustafa Kamal in a contempt of court case.

The SC had issued contempt notices to both Vawda and Kamal for their anti-judiciary remarks.

A three-member SC bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa and including Justices Irfan Saadat and Naeem Afghan, read the court order. The order noted that Vawda and Kamal had retracted their statements and offered unconditional apologies, acknowledging their words were inappropriate. Consequently, the court withdrew the show-cause notices issued to them.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Isa reminded them that Article 66 of the Constitution protects freedom of speech within parliament, not outside it. He advised them to be mindful of their future statements to respect institutions and avoid public harm.

On June 26, Senator Faisal Vawda had submitted an unconditional apology to the SC, expressing remorse and leaving himself at the court’s mercy. Previously, Vawda had refused to apologize unconditionally, claiming his press conference was intended for the country’s betterment, not to insult the judiciary.

The apex court had taken suo moto notice of press conferences held by Vawda and Kamal, in which they demanded evidence of judicial interference. The court issued notices to both leaders, requiring their responses.

MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal also offered an unconditional apology for his remarks against the judiciary in the same case.

In a press conference, Senator Vawda criticized Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, stating that no details were provided to support claims of alleged interference. He challenged the IHC judge Babar Sattar to present evidence and called for the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to intervene. Vawda emphasized the need to protect the country from conspiracies and to stop targeting state institutions.