ISLAMABAD: District and Sessions Court of the federal capital on Saturday extended physical remand of Senator and leader of the Pakistan Tahreek -e- Insaaf (PTI) Azam Khan Swati, for one more day as he presented before the court in the case of controversial tweets against the state institutions.
The PTI senator was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and requested an eight-day extension in the remand of Swati which earlier was granted for two days by the respective court. The court denied the request and gave the investigators one more day to wrap up their investigation.
Azam Swati was apprehended by the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing (CCW) on Thursday from his residence in Islamabad and brought before senior civil judge Shabbir Bhatti’s court in the federal capital, which granted a two-day remand to the FIA. Subsequently, a case was filed against Swati due to the “controversial” tweets by the agency’s cybercrime unit.
Following the conclusion of his two-day physical remand Saturday morning, Swati was scheduled to appear before Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Shabbir’s court. He wasn’t produced until the afternoon, though. The FIA representatives told the judge that Swati was getting a medical checkup that’s why he is presented late in the court.
Background:
On the case of controversial tweets against the state institutions, which led to the arrest of senator on Thursday from his Islamabad’s residence, the FIA officers asked the judge to order a seven-day physical remand of Swati for investigation at the beginning of the court case soon after his arrest.
Lawyer of the senator stated in court that Swati’s arrest is based on political grounds and is subject of “worst” torture. Later, the court granted a two-day physical remand of Swati after largely accepting the FIA’s appeal.
After Senator Saifullah Khan Nyazee and Hamid Zaman, he is the third senior leader of the Imran Khan-led PTI to be detained by the FIA. Nyazee and Zaman, on the other hand, are under investigation for their suspected participation in the illegal fundraising of the party.
