ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday sentenced Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Nehal Hashmi to one-month imprisonment and barred him from holding public office for next five years as it announced its verdict in the contempt of court case against him.

A three-member bench of the apex court — headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Dost Mohammad — also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on the senator.

The panel dismissed an unconditional apology, which Hashmi had submitted to the court on Jan.24 for his threatening video message against “those investigating” former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.

As the verdict was announced, Hashmi was taken into custody by police from the courtroom.

While Justice Khosa and Justice Baqar were in agreement over the punishment announced against Hashmi, Justice Dost Mohammad wrote a dissenting note.

In May 2017, as a Supreme Court-mandated joint investigation team (JIT) was probing the Sharif family’s business dealings in the Panama case, Hashmi had warned those conducting the probe will be “taken to task” for grilling the premier’s family. The video of Hashmi’s remarks had gone viral on social media and was also aired on news channels.

Hashmi’s controversial speech had landed him in hot water, as he was directed by his PML-N to tender his resignation from the Senate — which he later withdrew — while the party revoked his party membership.

On May 31, the apex court had taken notice of Hashmi’s anti-judiciary speech. Enraged by the senator’s incendiary remarks, the court, in one hearing of the case, had likened the government to the Sicilian mafia.

A case was registered against the senator on June 4 at Karachi’s Bahadurabad police station under Sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 228 (intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding) and 505 (statements inciting public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code on behalf of the state after the attorney general asked the Sindh prosecutor general to initiate proceedings since the speech was made in Karachi.

In July, Hashmi was charged with ‘contempt of court’ under Article 204(2) of the Constitution of Pakistan, read with Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003.