A special court in Islamabad made a significant decision on Monday, as it rejected the bail plea of Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati in two cases related to his controversial tweets.
Special Judge Central, Shah Rukh Arjumand, announced the rejection of Azam Swati’s bail request due to his failure to attend the court hearing.
The judge expressed firmness, declaring that Azam Swati should be apprehended wherever he is located and subsequently brought before the court for legal proceedings.
Azam Swati has faced persistent absence from court proceedings, leading to the court’s denial of bail and the issuance of an arrest order.
The cases against the PTI senator were registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) based on tweets where he allegedly shared “false information” about state institutions, with specific reference to the army chief. These tweets were posted in October last year.
In his tweets, Swati accused the former army chief, Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, of “legitimizing corruption” and questioned his vision for the future of the country. He also voiced criticism towards other senior military officers for their involvement in politics.
Azam Swati had previously been arrested twice in the last year, but he was granted bail after removing the contentious tweets and issuing an apology. However, his absence from the court hearings resulted in his declaration as an absconder by the special judge in the latest proceedings.
Swati’s legal representative cited health issues as the reason for his non-appearance, explaining that he was unable to travel from his hometown in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad. The case continues to draw attention and spark debate regarding freedom of expression and accountability in the realm of social media.
