Swati approaches IHC for post-arrest bail

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Azam Swati has taken a U-turn in his post-arrest bail petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) wherein he said that he did not post the controversial tweets against the military officials.

The PTI leader was arrested on November 27 by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets […] against state institutions”.

It was the second time that Swati was booked and arrested by the FIA over his tweets regarding the army officials in less than two months.

Earlier this week, the senator approached a special court in Islamabad for bail. However, Special Judge Central Azam Khan dismissed the plea on the grounds that Swati had “committed the same offence twice”.

On Saturday, Swati, through his lawyer Babar Awan, filed a post-arrest bail petition, challenging the special court’s orders.

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In the plea, the Federation, FIA Cybercrime and officer Anisur Rehman have been made respondents.

Rehman had filed the complaint against Swati on behalf of the FIA Cybercrime Wing.

Swati has taken a stand in the petition that he neither posted the alleged tweets nor intended to defame any organization. “Even after the investigation has been completed, the prosecution has no evidence against Azam Swati.”

The petition stated that Swati was earlier remanded into FIA’s custody but nothing “incriminating” was recovered from him and hence he was sent to jail on judicial remand.

“Later, the senator was abducted from the PIMS Hospital— where he was taken for medical treatment — in the aircraft of Balochistan inspector general of police. However, during the course of physical remand, the honourable Balochistan High Court was pleased to quash all the FIRs [registered against him] in two petitions.”

The BHC had also barred the police from filing further cases against him.

“But he [Swati] was again kidnapped in another FIRs lodged against him in Sindh,” the petition said, adding that later, the Singh High Court (SHC) had placed all the FIRs against him in C-class.

It contended that the entire case against Swati consisted of a “documented allegation” and that there was no “useful purpose” of keeping him in custody.

Subsequently, it requested that Swati should be granted post-arrest bail till the conclusion of the trial “in the best interest of justice”.

The court fixed the application for hearing on Monday.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the post-arrest bail plea of Swati.