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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Azam Swati Detained Again Following Bail Approval by Anti-Terrorism Court

Swati was taken to an undisclosed location shortly after his release from Attock Jail. The re-arrest follows a case filed with 20 charges at the Taxila police station.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati was re-arrested by the Taxila police immediately after being released from Attock Jail. According to sources, he was taken to an undisclosed location.

Swati’s re-arrest is linked to a case filed at the Taxila police station that includes 20 charges. This development comes just a day after the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court had approved his bail.

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On November 1, a division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) nullified the physical remand of Swati, which had been previously granted by the trial court in eight cases, and placed him on judicial remand. The bench, comprising Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, reviewed petitions challenging the physical remand orders issued by ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain.

During the proceedings, Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb expressed regret for critical remarks he had made against Judge Zulqarnain, acknowledging that such comments were inappropriate as the judge was not present to defend himself.

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Present at the hearing were Swati’s lawyer, Advocate Ali Bukhari, Islamabad Prosecutor General Ghulam Sarwar, Inspector General of Police Office Law Officer Tahir Kazim, and DSP Legal Sajid Cheema.

The court also received the explanation submitted by Judge Zulqarnain, which satisfied the bench. Additionally, the court requested the complete record of all cases related to Swati.

Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb questioned Advocate Bukhari about the possibility of a single remand being issued for all cases and inquired about the timing of the remand being given at 6:30 pm, noting the judge’s explanation that handling 13 cases took considerable time.

Advocate Bukhari revealed that while a petition indicated 12 cases against Swati, information about an additional case was deliberately withheld in the details provided to the high court.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir further questioned whether Swati had been arrested in all cases. The prosecutor general confirmed that physical remand had been issued for all cases, indicating that Swati had indeed been arrested in each of them.