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Police get 5-day physical remand of PTI leader Swati

Tariq Butt

QUETTA: A Queta court on Sunday handed over Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Khan Swati to police for a five-day physical remand in a controversial tweets case.

The PTI leader is facing charges of libel for using foul language against military officers in his tweets.

He was presented before Judicial Magistrate Abdul Satar under strict security on Sunday morning. The police requested a 10-day physical remand but the court only approved it for five days.

Later, PTI Balochistan President and former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri confirmed that Swati was handed over to police for a five-day physical remand.

During a presser, Suri condemned the police action against the “elderly leader in extremely cold weather.” “Is Azam Swati a foreign spy? What has he done? I think it is not good to use Balochistan police in such activities.”

Suri claimed that there is “no worse example” for the restriction on freedom of expression than this. He said that only the case for atack on PTI Chairman Imran Khan is not being registered, but the rest of party leadership is facing cases.

Swati is booked in multiple cases across Pakistan — as stated by his lawyer during a hearing in an Islamabad court — for his controversial tweets.

Initially, the senator was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Oct.14, ater he posted a highly-hateful and threatening message against the then army chief, judiciary and other state institutions, on his official Twiter account.

The senator had secured bail in that case. But on Nov.27, FIA once again arrested Swati for using abusive language against the top military brass including the former army chief.

On Dec.2, Balochistan police arrested Swati for a similar case registered against him in Queta. At the time of his arrest, he was already on judicial remand in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, following his detention for a second time in a controversial tweets case on Nov.27. He was then shited to Queta under a transit remand acquired by the Balochistan police The PTI has been condemning his arrest and “torture” under custody, while Swati also approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), fearing “custodial killing.”

PAKISTAN

en-ae

2022-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

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