Tag: Azam Swati

  • Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed among PTI leaders declared ‘Ishtehari’

    Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed among PTI leaders declared ‘Ishtehari’

    An anti-terrorism court has declared several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) proclaimed offenders (POs) in three cases related to the May 9 riots.

    The decision was made by Judge Abher Gul Khan in response to separate applications filed by the investigating officers (IOs) of the cases.

    The IOs reported that despite strenuous efforts, the suspects, fearing arrest, had gone into hiding, making their apprehension challenging. Non-bailable arrest warrants had previously been issued against them, but the suspects failed to surrender to the law, prompting the police to request the court to declare them POs.

    Those declared POs in two cases of torching police vehicles near Jinnah House and Sher Pao Bridge are Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Farrukh Habib, Azam Swati, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Hamid Raza, Karamat Khokhar, Khalid Gujjar, Sajjad Ahmad and Zubair Khan Niazi.

    In the third case, which pertains to burning the PML-N office in Model Town, Fawad Chaudhry, Hammad Azhar, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and his wife Musarrat Cheema, Zubair Khan Niazi, Ghulam Abbas, Farhat Abbas and Hamid Raza had been declared POs.

    The judge also directed the IOs to submit details regarding moveable and immovable assets of the suspects so that proceedings for the attachment of their properties under section 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) could be started.

    It is noteworthy that several of these PTI leaders have already been declared POs in other cases related to the May 9 protests, including the attacks on Jinnah House and Askari Tower.

    Hamza Shehbaz wants an exemption

    In a separate legal development, an accountability court issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on an application submitted by former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz. Hamza sought permanent exemption from personal appearance in the trial proceedings of the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference.

    Appearing before the court with his lawyer, Hamza Shehbaz’s application prompted the court to direct a NAB prosecutor to submit a reply by January 12. The NAB had reopened the reference, initially closed under defunct amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, following a Supreme Court decision that struck down those amendments.

    In the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference, NAB alleged that Shehbaz Sharif, then chief minister, and his son Hamza, in abetment and connivance, caused a loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer by misusing their authority. The allegations revolve around the construction of a drain in Chiniot district primarily for the use of Ramzan Sugar Mills owned by Hamza and his brother Suleman.

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar aur Azam Swati Kot Lakhpat Jail mein larr parray, claims Punjab caretaker minister

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar aur Azam Swati Kot Lakhpat Jail mein larr parray, claims Punjab caretaker minister

    Caretaker Minister for Information of Punjab Amir Mir has claimed that three senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)— Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, and Senator Azam Swati—got into an argument in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore after they presented themselves for arrest before the police.

    While talking to Dawn News‘ Nadia Naqi, the minister said, “Jab yeh pehli raat giraftaar hoye hain aur inhy Kot Lakhpat Jail mei rakha gaya hai toh yeh Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar aur Azam Swati aapas mei jaghar parey thy” (On the very first night after being arrested, they were kept in Kot Lakhpat Jail where they started fighting with each other).

    According to the minister, the senior leadership got into an argument because the three of them were blaming each other for their arrests.

    He said considering the tense standoff between the three, they were transferred to different jails.

    The minister also noted that Qureshi had said that he was going to the Office of the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore for a cup of tea when Punjab police arrested him.

    PTI leaders were arrested last week on Wednesday from Lahore as part of their party’s Jail Bharro Tehreek (voluntary arrest movement).

    At the time, the police claimed that the PTI leaders forcefully made their way to the prison van. Currently, Asad Umar is in District Jail, Rajanpur, Qureshi in District Jail, Attock and Swati is serving his time in District Jail, Raheem Yar Khan.

  • Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Azam Swati finally released from jail for talking against army

    Senator Azam Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has finally been released from sub-jail after remaining behind bars for more than a month.

    The senator had been in the custody of law enforcing agencies since November 27 last year, after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him in Islamabad over a “campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions”, including the former chief of army staff General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted bail to Swati after he filed a petition seeking post-arrest bail.

    In December, PTI chief Imran Khan had said that Swati had been “taken away by Quetta police” from Islamabad despite health concerns.

    According to media reports, the arrest was made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. However, Balochistan High Court (BHC) later ordered that no more cases should be registered against him.

    Later, Swati was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    Swati had criticised persons within the establishment in tweets posted from his account.

  • PTI’s Azam Swati shifted to Islamabad after court’s order that no cases should be registered against him

    PTI’s Azam Swati shifted to Islamabad after court’s order that no cases should be registered against him

    Senator Azam Swati — who has been in detention since November 27 over his controversial tweets about senior military officials— has been shifted to Islamabad and taken into police custody. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was brought to the capital via a special plane from Sukkur.

    On Thursday, Sindh Prosecutor General Faiz H Shah informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) of the development. During the hearing, the high court ordered that no cases should be registered against him.

    A two-member SHC bench, comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Arshad Hussain Khan, took up the plea.

    The prosecutor general informed the bench at the hearing that Swati had been transferred to Islamabad and all cases registered against him in Sindh were being disposed of as C-Class, which means disposal of the case for being non-cognisable.

    “Consequently, all FIRs will now become ineffective,” he said.

    Speaking to the media after the hearing, Swati’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor Khan said that 34 cases were registered against his client in Sindh and all have now been categorised as “C class”.

    Swati was initially booked by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad over a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets against state institutions” and subsequently arrested by the agency.

    Later, multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan for using “derogatory language” and “provoking the people against the army”.

    Earlier this month, PTI chairman Imran Khan slammed Quetta police’s decision to take Swati from Islamabad despite his health concerns.

  • Sanaullah says Azam Swati ‘maligned’ army, judiciary, not govt

    Sanaullah says Azam Swati ‘maligned’ army, judiciary, not govt

    Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanauallah has said that the cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati were a part of “political revenge”, adding that Swati did target the army and judiciary but not the government.

    Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the Minister said that the government has got nothing to do with the cases against Swati.

    “If we wanted to frame [PTI leaders] in court cases or treat them the way they treated us, we would have had them charged with the possession of heroin,” he said, referring to the case made against him under the PTI government.

    Sanaullah added that cases are being filed against them in accordance with the law. “Recently, the Balochistan High Court (BHC) cancelled cases against Azam Swati. On the other hand, we have fought our cases for years,” he said.

  • Balochistan High Court orders cancellation of all FIRs against Azam Swati

    Balochistan High Court orders cancellation of all FIRs against Azam Swati

    The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday ordered that all first information reports (FIR) registered against Senator Azam Swati of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for his controversial tweets against senior military officers should be cancelled.

    Five FIRs were registered in Balochistan against Swati for tweeting against army officials.

    Balochistan police had arrested the PTI senator last week from Islamabad, detaining him in their custody after a local court in Quetta approved the law enforcement agency’s request for a physical remand.

    The court has directed police to quash all FIRs registered against the senator in the province and release him if he was not booked in any other cases.

    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 since alleged 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”.

  • Balochistan High Court orders no more cases to be registered against Azam Swati

    Balochistan High Court orders no more cases to be registered against Azam Swati

    Balochistan High Court (BHC) has ordered that no more cases should be registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati.

    The senator is currently the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for tweeting against senior army officials.

    BHC has also sought a written report of the cases filed against Swati from the police chief.

    A two-member BHC bench consisting of Justice Kamran Khan Mulakhail and Justice Aamir Rana passed the order on a petition seeking the termination of cases against Swati. The petition was filed by Swati’s son Osman Swati.

    Last week, a Quetta court handed over Swati to police for a five-day physical remand in the case. At the time, PTI chief Imran Khan said that Swati has been “taken away by the Quetta police” from Islamabad despite health concerns.

    According to media reports, the arrest was made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan.

    Earlier, Swati approached the Supreme Court (SC) to request the transfer of all cases registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan to Islamabad.

  • ‘We will be dissolving the assemblies this month’: Imran Khan

    ‘We will be dissolving the assemblies this month’: Imran Khan

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan asked his party members to get ready for elections as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies will be dissolved this month

    In an address to the Parliamentary Party of KP, Imran asked party workers to prepare for elections and begin campaigning in their constituencies. “Whether they [the government] come towards elections or not, we will be dissolving the assemblies this month and moving towards elections.”

    He reiterated that PTI is only ready to talk to the coalition leader on elections, warning that he will otherwise dissolve the assemblies in the provinces where his party was in power.

    He also said that Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Pervaiz Elahi had given him the go-ahead to dissolve the assembly. “He has said he is standing with me and would dissolve assemblies on my call,” he emphasized.

    Moreover, Imran warned that “if something happens to [PTI senator] Azam Swati, we will go after everyone responsible for arresting him”.

    Imran further said that the people who took Swati to Quetta had turned Pakistan’s justice system into a “joke”.

    “I am once again saying this with great respect to the judiciary, if you won’t protect the rights [of people] then who will,” he asked senior judges.

    Imran then instructed all his party members and supporters to come out to protest against Swati’s arrest.

    On Saturday, the government turned down Khan’s invitation to parleys for early elections, arguing threats and talks could not go together.

  • ‘Quetta police took Swati away, endangering his life’: Imran Khan demands release of his senator

    ‘Quetta police took Swati away, endangering his life’: Imran Khan demands release of his senator

    Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has said that Senator Azam Swati has been “taken away by the Quetta police” from Islamabad despite his health concerns.

    In a tweet on Friday (today), the party chief stated, “Swati was moved to PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) early morning after suffering severe chest pains and breathing issues.”

    “While test results were awaited, Quetta police got him discharged and took him away endangering his life,” he further said.

    Terming the Quetta police act “a great crime”, Imran demanded the immediate release of his party’s senator.

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Asad Umar said Swati was “handed over” to Balochistan police and taken to Quetta without waiting for medical reports from the hospital or waiting for the high court’s decision. He further blamed the “imported government” for “flouting fundamental rights and refusing to follow due process of law.”

    According to media reports, the arrest has been made over different cases registered against the senator across Balochistan. It is pertinent to mention that several First Information Reports (FIRs) had been registered within 24 hours against PTI leader Swati for his controversial tweets at different police stations in Karachi, Quetta, Jacobabad Qambar, Lasbela, Larkana, Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Kandhkot, and other cities.

    Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its verdict on a plea filed by Swati seeking details of the FIRs registered against him.

    The court, asking if the federal government has no administrative control, had reserved its verdict on the plea.

    A day earlier, Swati approached the Supreme Court (SC) to request the transfer of all cases registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan to Islamabad. The same day, an Islamabad court sent the senator on 14-day judicial remand.

    In a petition to the apex court, Swati has said that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him in a false case, adding that multiple cases were registered against him in the country, and he faces a security threat when appearing in various courts.

    Last Sunday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Swati — for the second time in less than two months — for speaking against the army.

  • Azam Swati turns to Supreme Court for help

    Azam Swati turns to Supreme Court for help

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati has approached the Supreme Court (SC) to request the transfer of all cases registered against him in Sindh and Balochistan to Islamabad.

    In a petition to the apex court, Swati has said that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him in a false case, adding that multiple cases were registered against him in the country, and he faces a security threat when appearing in various courts.

    The senator also appealed to the court that the “operation of FIRs” registered against him be suspended till his plea is heard.

    In Lahore, PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid also filed a petition against Swati’s arrest at the SC registry in the provincial capital, terming it “illegal”. Rashid claimed in her petition that the senator was arrested on political grounds.

    On Sunday, Swati was once again arrested from his farmhouse in Islamabad by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for speaking against senior military officers. Later, on Tuesday, his physical remand was extended for four more days.