In a major development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has prevented the provincial police from arresting PTI Senator Azam Swati in more cases.
Moreover, the SHC has also sought details regarding cases registered against PTI leader Azam Swati in the province.
According to the details, the court’s directives were issued during a hearing on the plea filed by the senator’s son Usman Swati which sought to quash the charges registered against the PTI leader.
The court also issued notices to Inspector General Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon and Prosecutor General Sindh (PGS).
Azam Swati was arrested over a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets […] against state institutions” by the Federal Investigation Agency on November 27 and has been in detention since and continues to face legal action. He is currently in the custody of Qambar Shahdakot police.
Read more: It’s not political revenge – Govt rejects PTI claims on Azam Swati’s cases
Azam Swati’s arrest case
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.
اس وقت ملک میں اندھیر نگری چوپٹ راج ہے، @AzamKhanSwatiPk کے ساتھ کیا جانے والا سلوک انتہائی قابل مذمت ہے، بے رحمانہ کردار، غیر انسانی اور غیر قانونی طرز عمل سے نفرتوں میں مزید اضافہ ہوگا، ان لوگوں کے سینے میں دل نہیں بلکہ اقتدار کی ہوس ہے۔
— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) December 12, 2022