Senator Faisal Vawda has issued an unconditional apology in the contempt of court case against him, submitting a new response to the show-cause notice in the Supreme Court.
In his written response, Vawda expressed remorse and stated that he leaves himself at the mercy of the court. He clarified that his intention was not to disrespect the judiciary, but he acknowledged that his press conference might have conveyed a wrong message.
“In the light of Quranic teachings, I realized that there is no problem in expressing regret for what I have done,” the former PTI leader wrote.
Previously, on June 4, Vawda had not offered an unconditional apology in his initial reply to the contempt of court charges. At that time, he stated that his press conference was aimed at improving the country and not at insulting the judiciary.
Vawda has now requested the Supreme Court to exercise restraint in proceeding with the contempt of court case and to withdraw the notice against him. He pointed out that the judiciary should also admit its mistakes, as recently remarked by the chief justice of Pakistan.
The Supreme Court had issued contempt of court notices to Faisal Vawda and Mustafa Kamal for making anti-judiciary statements. A three-member bench, headed by the CJP and including Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, heard the case.
The court highlighted that while Article 19 of the Constitution granted freedom of expression, it also imposes restrictions on contempt of court. The Supreme Court had ordered Vawda and Kamal to appear in person and asked Vawda to submit his reply within two weeks, explaining his statements.
It noted that in retrospect, Vawda’s press conference constitted contempt of court.
