A district and sessions court in Islamabad indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati in a case pertaining to controversial tweets allegedly targeting the country’s sensitive institutions, including the military.
The indictment was handed down by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka on Saturday, who dismissed the senator’s application for acquittal. Swati, during the proceedings, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court summoned prosecution witnesses for the next hearing and adjourned further proceedings till October 14.
The case against Swati was initiated in November 2022, when the FIA Cyber Crime Wing arrested him over tweets deemed offensive towards the military’s top leadership. According to the FIA, the PTI lawmaker had launched a “highly obnoxious campaign” on Twitter with alleged intent to defame and malign state institutions.
The FIR was registered by FIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad on a complaint filed by Technical Assistant Aneesur Rehman. It included sections from both the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and the Pakistan Penal Code, such as Section 131 (abetting mutiny), 500 and 501 (defamation), 505 (public mischief), and 109 (abetment).
The FIA maintained that the tweets posted by Swati were part of a malicious attempt to create unrest and discredit institutions with “ulterior motives.”
In 2023, Swati was declared a proclaimed offender after failing to appear before the court, which subsequently issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him.