LARKANA: The Sindh Police on Wednesday quashed all cases registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati in Larkana division.
The incarcerated PTI leader was arrested by the Sindh Police from Quetta on Saturday, and presented in front of a judicial magistrate in Qambar on Sunday. The court handed over Swati to police on three-day physical remand.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Abdul Rauf Korai, counsel for Swati, presented a report before Qambar judicial magistrate and civil judge Ali Bakhsh Mashori.
He informed the local court that police have withdrawn cases registered against his client in three districts of Larkana division. Korai said that Swati’s three-day physical remand has also expired but his client is still under the custody of Qambar police.
Earlier, Sindh High Court (SHC) barred the provincial police from arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati in cases registered against him. As per details, the divisional bench comprised of justice Adnan Karim and justice Mehmood A Khan heard the case.
The Swati counsel said that there are several cases registered against the PTI senator in the same case which is also a violation of supreme court orders. Swati 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 the removal of two military officials, one of whom he used foul language against in his tweet on November 26.
On November 27, the FIA arrested Swati for the second time over a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions”. The arrest came after an FIR was registered by the FIA on the complaint of the state through Islamabad Cyber Crime Reporting Centre Technical Assistant Aneesur Rehman.
The complaint was registered under Section 20 of Peca as well as Sections 131 (abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce a soldier from his duty),500 (punishment for defamation), 501 (defamation and printing of content deemed defamatory), Section 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 109 (abetment) of the PPC.
Following his arrest in November, the Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority prohibited Azam’s media coverage on all satellite TV channels. Separate FIRs were also registered against the PTI leader in Balochistan and Sindh as well.
On December 2, Swati was brought to Quetta from Islamabad in one such case registered at the Kuchlak police station, after the end of his initial 14-day remand. Subsequently, the judicial magistrate of Kuchlak remanded Swati in police custody for five days.
But on Friday, the Balochistan High Court ordered the quashing of all five cases registered against him in the province.
However, hours after the order was issued, the PTI senator was handed over to Sindh police. The next day, two new cases were registered against Swati in Balochistan.
The cases were registered under Sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc), 124A (sedition), and 123A (condemnation of the creation of the State, and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty) of the PPC.
The Capital Development Authority has also sealed Swati’s farmhouse, located on Islamabad’s Murree Road over alleged violation of building laws.
