After the martial law against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999, Hashmi became a vocal critic of former President Pervez Musharraf and strongly advocated for the strong civilian control of the military. In 2001–04, Hashmi reportedly appealed to the Commonwealth of Nations and the European Union to play a significant political role to restore the civilian control of the federal government in Pakistan. In 2001, an inquiry against his role in the Mehrangate scandal was opened by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) but was unable to produce any substantial evidence against him in the accountability courts.