ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a contempt of court notice to Altaf Hussain, chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), DawnNews reported.

Hussain and the deputy convener of the party’s Rabita Committee Dr Farooq Sattar, who is also a Member of National Assembly (MNA), have been summoned by the court on Jan 7.

The bench also directed the foreign ministry to ensure that the notice was implemented upon.

The notice to Hussain was issued during the hearing of the case pertaining to the implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling in the Karachi law and order case.

The case was being heard by a three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

During the hearing, the chief justice said the court had been sent a note from the registrar's office which had mentioned excerpts from a speech by the MQM chief.

The excerpts were derogatory towards the judges, Chief Justice Iftikhar said, adding that, the note stated that Hussain had targeted certain judges in his speech and the Pemra had been directed to submit the text of the speech.

The chief justice said he had read the text of the speech and found it to be offensive and threatening. The language used in the speech was tantamount to an attempt to obstruct justice, he said.

On Dec 2, the MQM chief had termed the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding fresh delimitation of constituencies in Karachi before a census an attempt to ‘snatch his party’s mandate’.

Speaking from London to a big public meeting held at the Jinnah Ground in Azizabad, the MQM chief had also stated that people of the city would never allow any such ‘conspiracy’ to succeed.

Hussain had said the MQM had great respect for the judiciary and it would have no objection if a census was held before the delimitation in accordance with the law.