Seven more FIRs lodged against Swati over ‘offensive tweets’

Plaintiff says PTI senator's tweets spread hatred against state institutions and hurt his sentiments

As many as seven more first information reports (FIRs) were registered against PTI Senator Azam Swati for posting "offensive tweets" against military and state institutions.

Express News reported on Sunday that five FIRs were lodged against Swati in Karachi and one each in Larkana and Quetta.

One of the FIRs was registered against Swati on the complaint of citizen Zameer Hussain in Naseerabad police station of Qamber Shahdad Kot, an area of ​​Larkana district.

In the FIR, the complainant said Swati used offensive language on his Twitter account on November 26 against the serving officers of the Pakistan Army and state institutions.

The plaintiff contended that the anti-army tweets spread hatred against the institutions and hurt his sentiments as a citizen of Pakistan.

The complaint in Larkana was registered under sections 131, 153, 504, and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Also read: Court hands over Swati to FIA on two-day physical remand

Swati was taken into custody for the second time early Sunday morning after a raid at his farmhouse by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Wing Islamabad team for allegedly tweeting against senior military officials.

An FIR against Swati was registered by the cybercrime wing on November 26, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, over 'controversial' tweets made recently allegedly against government functionaries, including the chief of army staff (COAS).

The report maintained that the PTI leader started a "highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets" against state institutions, including the army chief "with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives".

In a conversation with the FIA ​​team during the arrest, Swati said: “FIA officer Ayaz is my culprit, I don't want to see him here” as the PTI leader had accused the official of torturing him following his previous arrest in October.

The senator also said that as soon as he delivered his speech at the party's rally in Rawalpindi held a day earlier he came back home, adding that he was "not one to run away and was not going to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa [K-P]".

Later, a local court in Islamabad handed over Senator Swati to the FIA on a two-day physical remand in a case relating to 'controversial' tweets targeting institutions.