The PML-N led federal government has rejected the claims made by PTI that the cases registered against senior PTI senator Azam Swati were a part of “political revenge”.
PML-N leader and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, while addressing a press conference in Lahore, said that Azam Swati did not target the government but two institutions. He said that the senator maligned the army and judiciary and not the government.
“If we wanted to file cases against them [PTI leaders] or wanted to treat them how they treated us, we would have filed cases of heroin against them,” he said.
The Interior Minister also expressed his upset at the Balochistan High Court (BHC) quashing all cases against Azam Swati.
Read more: Azam Swati to be released after BHC quashes all FIRs
“Recently, the Balochistan High Court quashed cases against him. On the other hand, we have fought our cases for years,” Rana Sanaullah said.
“Why shouldn’t the cases against the members of the coalition government be closed since they are being closed after litigation?” he asked.
Arrest of Azam Swati
Earlier, the BHC gave the orders of closing the cases against Azam Swati and gave orders for his release. However, shortly after, PTI Senator Azam Swati was handed over to the Sindh police in Quetta.
Azam Swati — who was arrested in Islamabad by the Federal Investigation Agency on November 27 for the second time in less than two months over strongly worded tweets about senior military leaders — was booked under Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (Peca), which deals with offenses against the dignity of a person.
Read more: PTI women protest in front of SC against Azam Swati’s arrest
Separately, he was also nominated in multiple FIRs in Balochistan and Sindh for using “derogatory language” and “provoking the people against the army”.
PTI leaders have lashed out at the arrest and heavily criticized the government for violating the human rights of the senator as he has been subjected to custodial torture as well.
When you think they can't get any more insane , they reach a new level! #ReleaseAzamSwati pic.twitter.com/Mxyfr8GJQ6
— Dr. Yasmin Rashid (@Dr_YasminRashid) December 9, 2022