The Islamabad High Court on Monday issued notices to the state and theFederal Investigation Agency (FIA) while hearing a bail petition filed byPTI Senator Azam Khan Swati seeking his release in a case related tocontroversial tweets.
Swati was arrested on November 27 after the FIA booked him in Islamabadover a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets […] against stateinstitutions”. It was the second time that Swati was booked and arrested bythe FIA over his tweets about army officials in less than two months.
Last week, the senator approached a special court in Islamabad for bail.However, Special Judge Central Azam Khan dismissed the plea ruling that hehad “committed the same offence twice”.
Subsequently, Swati filed a post-arrest bail petition through his lawyerBabar Awan in the IHC, challenging the special court’s orders.
The plea, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, named the state andAneesur Rehman, the technical assistant at FIA’s Cybercrime ReportingCentre in Islamabad, as respondents. The FIA criminal complaint was filedthrough Rehman.
Awan appeared before the IHC as it took up Swati’s petition on Monday.During the hearing, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq issued notices to therespondents and adjourned the hearing till January 2 (Monday).
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Speaking to the media outside the IHC, Awan quoted a judgement authored byIHC Justice Babar Sattar wherein he said that mere tweets could not incitea mutiny in the army.
He also lashed out at the authorities for being unable to prepare a challanagainst Swati after registering a first information report. Swati said thatthe law required authorities to prepare a challan within 17 days ofregistering a case.
“Those experts in leaks are sitting in the PM House and indulging inpropaganda,” Awan claimed.
