PTI’s Azam Swati released from Islamabad jail
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati on Tuesday released from the Islamabad’s Crime Intelligence Agency (CIA) facility after obtaining bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the case related to controversial tweets.
Earlier a day, The IHC had granted bail to PTI leader after he filed a petition seeking post-arrest bail in the controversial tweet’s case. Azam Swati’s bail was approved against the security bonds of Rs200,000.
As per the procedure, the trial court issued the release order for Swati after receiving the IHC’s written order and the PTI leader’s security bonds.
Large number of PTI supporters, fellow Senators, and party leaders were present to welcome Azam Swati outside the CIA Centre.
Background:
On November 27, PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for his controversial tweets against senior military officials.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the FIA on the complaint of the state through Islamabad Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) Technical Assistant Aneesur Rehman.
The complaint was registered under Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (PECA) which deals with offences against dignity of a person 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 Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The FIR reads: “Swati and three other Twitter accounts with malafide intentions and ulterior motives, started a highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets […] against state institutions and senior government functionaries, including outgoing army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa”
The FIR added that such “intimidating tweets of blaming and naming” were a “mischievous act of subversion to create a rift between personnel of armed forces to harm the state of Pakistan”.
