ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear a petition on Thursday (today) filed by the Federal Investi­gation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday seeking cancellation of the post-arrest bail granted to PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati.

A special court of FIA had on Oct 21 granted the bail to the former federal minister in a case registered against him over a controversial tweet.

The FIA picked up Senator Swati on Oct 13 from his residence on cha­rges of inciting mutiny.

The FIR was registered under sections 131 (inciting to mutiny), 500 (defamation), 501 (printing defamatory contents), 505 (conducing public mischief) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code, and section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

IHC to take up petition today

Following the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz in a money laundering case by the court, Mr Swati through his tweet had sarcastically congratulated “Mr Bajwa” and a few others, saying “Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country” and alleging that corruption had been “legitimised”.

Answering reporters’ questions outside a court in Islamabad after his arrest last month, the PTI leader alleged that he was tortured by “agencies” during the custody. “A parliamentarian has been unclothed,” he said. “I am telling the nation.”

The FIA in its petition stated that the special court did not even rely on the judgements cited by the prosecution and the bail granted order was “not tenable in [the eyes of] law”.

Citing the sections of law invoked against Mr Swati, the FIA contended that the special court could have passed an order to the extent of Peca as the rest of sections were beyond its ambit.

The FIA asked the IHC to recall the bail granting order. Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the matter on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2022