An Islamabad district and sessions court extended the judicial remand of PTI Senator Azam Swati \u2014 who has been in detention since Nov 27 over his controversial tweets about senior military officials \u2014 for 14 days and directed the investigating officer (IO) to submit a challan at the next hearing.
\nSwati was initially booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad over a \u201chighly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets [\u2026] against state institutions\u201d and subsequently arrested by the agency last month.
\nLater, multiple first information reports (FIRs) were registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan as well for using \u201cderogatory language\u201d and \u201cprovoking the people against the army\u201d.
\nOn Dec 1, an Islamabad court had approved Swati\u2019s 14-day judicial remand in the FIA case, but the senator was handed over to Balochistan police a day later. He remained in Balochistan police\u2019s custody for a week and was then handed over to Sindh police.
\nEarlier today, the Sindh High Court took up a plea filed by Azam Swati\u2019s son, Usman Swati, challenging the FIRs registered against the senator in Sindh over his tweets. At the hearing, Sindh Prosecutor General Faiz H Shah informed the SHC that Swati had been shifted back to Islamabad.
\nSubsequently, judicial magistrate Shabbir Bhatti resumed the hearing of the FIA case in Islamabad and enquired whether a challan had been submitted.
\nAt that, Swati\u2019s counsel, Babar Awan, said, \u201cThey [the prosecution] kept on saying for three days that they will present arguments, and then they got the judge transferred.\u201d
\nHe further said the SHC and Balochistan High Court had quashed cases registered against Swati and \u201cset a prime example of supremacy of the law\u201d.
\nHe added, \u201cHow could tweets pose any danger to anyone?\u201d
\nWhen the judge asked whether Swati had been granted bail in the case, Awan denied, saying \u201cThey [prosecution] kept playing a game with the judge for two days.\u201d
\nThe court then summoned Swati and suspended the session for a while.
\nWhen the session resumed, Swati joined the hearing via a video link.
\n\u201cHow are you Swati sahib?\u201d the judge asked.
\n\u201cI am fine,\u201d the senator replied, adding that he would continue the struggle for \u201csupremacy of the law\u201d and \u201cjudiciary\u2019s independence\u201d.
\nSubsequently, the IO informed the court that they were awaiting records from Twitter and a technical report to submit the challan.
\nThe court, however, directed him to submit the challan.
\n\u201cAt least submit an interim challan,\u201d the court said, adding that they were issuing a notice for it today.
\nThe court warned IO that he would not be paid his salary if he failed to submit the challan at the next hearing.
\nThe court also allowed Swati\u2019s lawyers to meet him and asked when would they meet the senator.
\nIt adjourned the hearing after extending Swati\u2019s judicial remand for 14 days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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