Politics

IHC grants bail to Senator Azam Swati in controversial tweets case

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Azam Swati’s bail has been approved against bonds of Rs200,000.
IHC had earlier reserved its verdict in the case.
Swati had filed plea seeking release on bail in IHC.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday approved the bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati in the controversial tweets case.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict reserved earlier today, granting bail to the PTI leader in the case filed against him in November 2022.

The senator’s bail has been approved against surety bonds of Rs200,000.

Swati has been behind bars since November 27, when he was arrested for the second time for using abusive language against the top military brass, including former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa. The septuagenarian hurled swear words at Bajwa.

Swati had filed a plea seeking release on bail in IHC in relation to the case filed against him on November 26. His earlier plea, filed on December 21, was dismissed by trial court judge Azam Khan, who said that the senator had committed the same offence twice.

In his application, the senator stated that he did not post derogatory remarks against any institutions. He added that the prosecution has no proof against him despite an investigation.

The application read that Swati is 75 years old and a heart patient and that jailing him would be a sentence without conviction as all evidence against him is documentary.

Today’s hearing

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq conducted the hearing of the case without the presence of the special prosecutor. Swati’s lawyer Babar Awan appeared in court on behalf of his client.

Awan said that Swati’s son wants to put his viewpoint before the court.

“My father had written a letter, I want to read it with the court’s permission,” said Swati’s son.

At this, Justice Farooq said that the letter is present before the court.

The court said that a larger bench would be constituted to settle this matter once and for all.

Swati’s lawyer said that the court should look into this matter today, to which the court said a larger bench cannot be formed today.

Meanwhile, Swati’s son withdrew his letter of no-confidence against the IHC chief justice.

The court then inquired about the position of the challan, to which, the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) replied that the challan was submitted on December 24, 2022, and the hearing will take place on January 3.

The deputy attorney general said that the PTI senator has committed the crime again and a case has already been pending.

The FIA said that Swati did not surrender his Twitter account. At this, the court said that the investigating agency itself ended the physical remand.

“Is there a chance of tampering?” the court questioned the FIA officials.

To this, the FIA said that Swati did not deny the tweet.

The court then reserved its verdict in the case.

The cases

Swati is booked in multiple cases across the country for his controversial tweets against senior military officers.

Initially, the senator was arrested by the FIA on October 13 after he posted a hateful and threatening message against the then-army chief, judiciary, and other state institutions on his official Twitter account.

He had secured bail in that case, but on November 27, the FIA arrested him again for using abusive language against the top military brass, including Gen (retd) Bajwa.

On December 2, Balochistan police arrested Swati in a similar case registered against him in Quetta. At the time of his arrest, he was already on judicial remand in Adiala Jail and was shifted to Quetta under a transit remand acquired by the Balochistan police.

Later, the Balochistan High Court (BHC) ordered the quashing of all cases registered against the senator in the province. Once BHC issued the order, the Sindh Police took the senator into custody over the issue of controversial tweets.

The senator then approached the Sindh High Court for bail. The court also directed the quashing of all cases registered against the senator in the province.

Following the orders, Islamabad Police took the senator into its custody and brought him to the federal capital. He is still in custody.

Latest News

Fazlur Rehman wants new elections to be held.

Published

4 hours ago

Farwa

Speaking to a crowd in Karachi, Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that meetings were “sold.” “President House and the Sindh Assembly were also sold,” he continued.

The head of JUI-F insisted on holding fresh elections right away in order to preserve the integrity of the democratic process.

He went on, “The results of the most recent elections are unacceptable and they were rigged.” In order to guarantee that the people’s opinion is heard and their mandate is honored, the JUI-chief called for new elections.

Additionally, Maulana Fazlur Rehman criticized the federal government’s foreign policy, including its position on Israel and Palestine. He declared, “We are being punished for standing with Palestine and against Israel.”

Speaking before a public assembly in Karachi, Maulana Fazlur Rehman asserted that gatherings were “sold”. He added, “Sindh Assembly and President House were sold.”

In order to safeguard the democratic process, the chairman of JUI-F asked that new elections be held immediately.

“It’s unacceptable that the results of the recent elections were rigged,” he stated. The JUI-chief demanded fresh elections in order to give the people’s voice a chance to be heard and their mandate to be respected.

Latest News

In the Toshakhana case, the PTI founder contests the NAB notification.

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was asked to set aside the NAB notice in a plea submitted by Imran Khan’s representatives, Salman Safdar, Usman Riaz, and Khalid Yousaf, according to the information.

Regarding the Toshakhana issue, NAB Rawalpindi called the PTI founder, who is detained, and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, on April 16.

Bushra Bibi, the former first lady of Pakistan, and Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), were the subject of a new investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) yesterday.

In a letter to the deputy superintendent of Adiala Jail and call-up notices to Imran and Bushra, the anti-graft body also asked for their attendance during the research.

Case of Toshakhana
In the Toshakhana case, an Accountability Court (AC) on January 31 imposed a 14-year prison sentence on the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his spouse, Bushra Bibi.

AC Judge Muhammad Bashir delivered the decision. For ten years, the founder of PTI and his spouse were likewise prohibited from holding any public office.

A Rs. 787 million fine was also imposed by the judge.

Prior to this, in connection with the cipher case, Khan and his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi received 10-year prison sentences under the Official Secrets Act.

In a case concerning their marriage during the latter’s Iddat period, they were each given seven years in prison one day later.

Latest News

US Ambassador Donald Blome praises Maryam’s portrayal of the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

According to information, Maryam Nawaz was congratulated by the US envoy on being the first female Chief Minister of Punjab during their meeting.

America’s goal to deepen economic relations with Pakistan, especially in the areas of manufacturing, IT, and agriculture, was conveyed by Ambassador Bloom. Maryam’s people-oriented efforts and initiatives were commended by him, who called them “commendable”.

The ambassador received assurances from Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz that Punjab will offer a safe haven for US investment. She emphasised that a stable administration is essential to guiding Pakistan out of its economic crisis and welcomed US engagement in a number of areas.

The Chief Minister also emphasised how her government’s economic initiatives had reduced inflation.

That Maryam Nawaz and Donald Bloome are meeting for the second time is worth mentioning. It was before to her election as Punjab’s Chief Minister that the first meeting was held.

At Maryam Nawaz’s home in Murree, Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Donald Blome, the US Ambassador to Pakistan, had a meeting.

They talked on the value of cooperation in a number of sectors, including as commerce, the economy, security, peace, and regional stability, according to the details.