BHC orders quashing all cases against Swati

PTI leader’s son had filed a petition seeking revocation of multiple cases against his father

QUETTA:

The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Monday ordered quashing of all three first information reports (FIRs) registered against PTI leader Senator Azam Swati across the province over his controversial tweets against the military leadership.

A single bench of the BHC comprising Justice Abdul Hameed Baloch passed the order on a petition filed by Swati’s son which sought revocation of multiple cases registered against his father in the province.

Senior lawyer Naseebullah Tareen, Syed Iqbal Shah Advocate and others appeared before the court on behalf of Swati.

Police had registered FIRs against Swati in the Killa Abdullah, Windar and Bela areas of Balochistan.

The applicants had accused the former ruling party's leader of using foul language against state institutions and requested the police to apprehend and punish him.

A month ago, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested Swati for the second time in Islamabad under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (Peca).

Read more: Police withdraws cases filed against Azam Swati in Sindh

However, the Balochistan police took the PTI leader’s custody after the registration of five FIRs against him in the province. Later, a division bench of the BHC ordered quashing of all five FIRs registered against him.

After the quashing of five FIRs, the police registered three fresh FIRs against the PTI leader in Balochistan.

Swati’s lawyer said that now there was no case against him in the province.

He said the Islamabad police had already lodged FIRs against the PTI leader on the same charges. It is against the law to register similar FIRs in Balochistan or Sindh, Tareen explained.

Multiple cases had been registered against the senator, including in Sindh and Balochistan, which he claimed earlier he only learned about after being handed over to the FIA on physical remand.

Last week, the Sindh police withdrew cases filed against Swati in Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot and Kashmore districts.

Swati's lawyer Abdul Rauf Korai said that the cancellation report of the cases registered by the police was submitted to the court of the judicial magistrate and civil judge Naseerabad.

The cases were closed by the police in three districts of the province on the orders of the inspector general (IG) Sindh.

The former minister was first arrested by the FIA on charges of posting controversial tweets about the armed forces in October and was later released on bail.

The senator has alleged since that he was tortured in custody and demanded removal of armed forces officials, one of whom he used foul language against in his tweet on November 26.