ISLAMABAD: Senator Azam Khan Swati on Monday approached the Supreme Court to challenge his arrest at the hands of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) for tweeting about the army chief.
He was taken into custody by the cybercrime wing of the agency from his home in Islamabad on October 13 after accusing him of a “mischievous act of subversion” to create a rift in the armed forces and to “harm the state of Pakistan”.
In his tweet, Swati taunted Gen. Qamer Javed Bajwa after a court acquitted Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his son in a money laundering case, saying the general had made the acquittal possible.
“Mr Bajwa! Congratulations to you and few with you. Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country,” Swati tweeted. “With these thugs getting free, you have legitimized corruption. How you predict now the future of this country.”
He was freed on bail last week.
In his petition, Swati said the FIA violated the sanctity of his house. He said he was beaten in front of the members of his family.
He recalled he has been a member of the Senate since 2003 except for a brief period.
He also alleged his face was covered in black cloth before being led away. “I’m dead inside. Suicide is prohibited in Islam, this is the only I am alive [even after the humiliation],” he wrote in his petition.
The senator said he will file for a suo motu notice Tuesday while requesting the court to take notice of the incident.
The FIA registered a case against Swati under the cybercrime act, accusing him of trying to harm the country and an “attempt to create hatred in the minds of people against the chief of army staff and Pakistan army.”
