Permanent warrants issued for Swati

ISLAMABAD: A local court on Wednesday issued perpetual arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Khan Swati over his controversial posts on social media platform X (then known as Twitter) about senior military officers, including the then-army chief, in October last year.

Swati was arrested twice last year in October and in the following month after the FIA booked him in Islamabad for posts that were allegedly against state institutions. His arrest on November 27, 2022, and subsequent detention stretched for over a month.

He was released from an Islamabad sub-jail in January this year after he secured post-arrest bail from the Islamabad High Court. In his petition for bail, he had denied making the offending posts.

Special Judge Central (SJC), Islamabad, Shah Rukh Arjamand issued the arrest warrants for the PTI leader over his repeated failure to attend hearings.

The judge ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest him on sight and present him before the court.

It should be noted that Swati was implicated in the May 9 violence and was among the PTI leaders declared proclaimed offenders.

Separately, Anti -Terrorism Court (ATC), Islamabad, ordered arrest of journalist Sabir Shakir and Moeed Pirzada for inciting people to commit terrorism and treason on May 9. The court has issued a permanent arrest warrant for Shakir and Pirzada.

Earlier, a case against Shakir and Pirzada was registered in the police station for inciting people to rebellion. ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain ordered that the police should arrest Shakir and Pirzada and present them before the court.