Sindh cops pick Azam Swati after BHC quashes FIRs against him

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday ordered that FIRs registered against Azam Swati for his controversial tweets against senior military leadership be quashed.

The BHC passed this order on a petition filed by the senator’s son against the registration of the cases in Balochistan.

Last week, five FIRs against the senior politician were registered in the southwestern province’s Kuchlak, Hub, Zhob and two other areas after which he was arrested from Islamabad by the Balochistan police. Swati was in their custody after a local court in Quetta approved the law enforcement agency’s request for a physical remand.

At the time of his arrest, the senator was already on judicial remand in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, following his detention for a second time in the case of a controversial tweet on November 27. He was then shifted to Quetta under a transit remand acquired by the police.

The senator had then approached the BHC which ordered that no more cases be registered against him.

During the last hearing, the court also sought a written report of the cases filed against the ailing Swati from the police chief.

Addressing the media after the hearing, Swati’s lawyer said that the court has granted relief to his client if not nominated in another case.

“The government’s lawyer was unable to prove the reason for registering cases against Azam Swati,” Shah said, adding that the investigation officers mentioned the inspector general of Balochistan police being unaware of the FIRs.

The Sindh police took Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) senior leader Senator Azam Swati in its custody from Quetta, sources told Geo News.

The politician’s lawyer Iqbal Shah told the sources that even though the Balochistan High Court ordered the septuagenarian’s release, the province’s police handed over his custody to the Sindh police.

Senator Swati is now being shifted to the country’s southern-most province via a special aircraft, Shah told the sources.

PTI leader Qasim Khan Suri also confirmed the development denouncing the Sindh government’s action “regretful” in the wake of the BHC’s order favouring the senator.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the former speaker of the National Assembly also wrote a plea made by Swati’s daughter questioning the country’s rule of law.

“75 years old Pakistani Senator @AzamKhanSwatiPk’s daughter @humanityhopeor1 [Farah Swati] has released her statement on the continuation of harassment & victimisation of her father,” he wrote in his tweet requesting the United Nations for interven-tion.

PTI’s Secretary General Asad Umar also denounced the senator’s arrest.

“Azam Swati released from Balochistan and arrested by Sindh on the same accusation,” he tweeted deeming the situation as a “funeral of law”.

Former human rights minister and PTI Senior Vice President Shireen Mazari lambasted dozens of FIRs against the senator.