KARACHI: Sindh police have taken custody of Azam Khan Swati, a senator of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, a day after the Balochistan High Court (BHC) ordered his release in a case registered against him on charges of sending out tweets critical of top army brass, including its now-former chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, and featuring slurs.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Swati in the last week of November, for the second time in less than two months, after he criticised Gen. Bajwa at a public rally and through a series of tweets.
His arrest came hours after Swati delivered a fiery speech mentioning his custodial torture last time, while asking a series of pointed questions, including the sudden ballooning of his wealth, from Gen. Bajwa.
According to a first information report (FIA) registered by the agency, headed by a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart, on the complaint of a staff member under a draconian cybercrime law, at least four Twitter handles, including Swati’s, “started, with malafide intentions and ulterior motives, a highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets” against Gen. Bajwa.
Separately, he was nominated in multiple complaints filed with police in Balochistan and Sindh. However, on Friday, Justice Hashim Khan Kakar of the high court in Balochistan directed police to quash all five complaints against the senator and release him.
But party colleagues said Swati was again arrested by the Sindh police. According to Saddam Hussain Khaskheli, a senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Sindh, two cases have been registered against the senator in the Qambar Shahdadkot district of Sindh.
“He was taken into custody from the Sukkur airport,” he said, adding the senator will now be presented before a court on December 15.
FARMHOUSE SEALED
Meanwhile, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has sealed, after demolishing part of, a farmhouse owned by Swati in the Murree Road neighbourhood of Islamabad over violation of building laws, confirmed Usman Swati, the senator’s son.
Usman Swati (son of Azam Swati) has confirmed that CDA raided their house in Islamabad, demolished parts of it and have now sealed it. Unbelievable level of pettiness of display. Unfortunate and condemnable.
— Abdullah Babar Awan (@AbdullahBabarPK) December 9, 2022
According to a communique issued by the authority, the unit was “transferred to Mrs Tahira Swati” (senator’s spouse) on March 25, 2014, and its building plan was approved on May 7, 2015.” But “the basement was not approved in the building plan,” the agency said.
CDA & ICT police raided Azam Swati’s house tonight & sealed it after partially demolishing property. Such vengeful behaviour against a mbr of Senate simply over some intemperate words. Continuous torture on him doesn’t seem to have satisfied hunger for revenge. @DrAliceJEdwards pic.twitter.com/X28kABQ7SE
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) December 9, 2022
It said the first notice in this regard was issued to Swati in 2016, followed by a reminder in 2018 after a survey of the farmhouse was conducted.
“There was a deviation from the approved building plan as servant quarter/Kitchen, office block and tractor trolley shed are not constructed. The observations regarding violations were separately conveyed on 29-11-2018,” the notice read.
Therefore, a show-cause notice was issued to Swati on November 4, 2022, in accordance with the ICT Building Control Regulations 2020 “with instructions to show sufficient cause within seven days as to why such violations have not been removed and why the premises may not be sealed off until compliance of the by-laws or removal of the same by the authority at the risk and cost beside imposing a penalty,” the CDA said.
The report added that a final notice regarding the matter was issued to the senator on November 16, in which the CDA warned him that if violations were not removed within seven days, it would seal the farmhouse.
It further said Swati had approached the court seeking a restraining order for the farmhouse until November 30. “Thereafter hearings were held on December 6, December 8 and December 9 and the honourable Court of Saqib Jawad Civil has ordered that the application in hand for grant of temporary injunction stands dismissed on 09-12-2022.
“As the temporary injunction stands dismissed, hence it is proposed that non-compoundable violations may be removed by the authority besides sealing of the premises/property with the assistance of the Enforcement Directorate and ICT administration until willingness of the owner to comply at his own of the Islamabad Capital Territory Building Control Regulations-2020,” the report said.
