Swati’s resignation as minister approved after one month

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has approved the resignation of Azam Swati as Federal Minister of Science and Technology, said a notification dated January 9.

The resignation has been accepted with effect from December 6, 2018, the notification added. The Supreme Court has been hearing a case against Swati pertaining to the transfer of Islamabad IGP Jan Muhammad. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had taken suo moto notice of Islamabad IGP Jan Muhammad’s abrupt transfer. The IGP was transferred on October 27 after he allegedly refused to take action on a complaint filed by Swati's son regarding a fight over purported encroachment with a family at their farmhouse.

The apex court had formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe allegations of misuse of authority, misconduct and encroachment against the minister. The JIT had held Swati and his guards responsible for the row over farmhouse land and the Supreme Court had observed that he had misused his powers as a federal minister. The top court is also conducting Swati’s trial under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution on assets beyond means case, under which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen were disqualified. Furthermore, US Department of Homeland Security handed over important documents to the JIT, probing Swati's alleged misuse of authority, and stated that he falsely represented himself as an American national in the USA in 2000 and 2001.