ISLAMABAD-The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will Monday (today) resume hearing in a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati seeking post-arrest bail in the controversial tweets case filed against him. 
A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Aamer Farooq will conduct hearing of the PTI Senator who moved the court through his counsel Babar Awan Advocate. 
Previously, the IHC bench had issued notices to the state and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) directing them to submit their response in this matter.
After issuing aforementioned directions, the IHC bench deferred the hearing in this matter till January 2 (today) for further proceedings. 
Babar Awan Advocate appeared before the court on behalf of Azam Swati who had been arrested in a case of controversial tweets against the armed forces. The Federation, FIA cybercrime wing and its officer Anisur Rehman were made respondents in the petition. 
The petition stated that Swati did not post the alleged tweets and that he had no intention to defame any state institution. It further stated that even after the completion of the investigation, the prosecution has no evidence against Swati. 
The counsel said that the petitioner is 75 years old and suffering from a heart disease while all cases against him are based on documentary allegations. He added that imprisonment would be tantamount to conviction before trial. 
In the petition, Swati stated that he did not post derogatory remarks against any institutions and had no intention to “defame any respectable institution.” The petition said that Swati was “falsely implicated due to political influences of a hostile regime” and the cases against him were registered with “malafide intention.”
It recalled that Swati was earlier remanded into FIA’s custody but nothing “incriminating” was recovered from him and hence he was sent to jail on judicial remand.
It pointed out that the senator was abducted from the PIMS where he was taken for medical treatment and later, he was taken in the “aircraft of IG Police Balochistan” to the other province. 
“However, during the course of physical remand, the Balochistan High Court was pleased to quash all the FIRs [registered against him] in two petitions.” 
It said that the BHC had also barred the police from filing further cases against him. “But he [Swati] was again kidnapped in another FIRs lodged against him in Sindh,” the petition said, adding that later on the Sindh High Court (SHC) had placed all the FIRs against him in C-class. 
It contended that the entire case against Swati consisted of a “documented allegation” and that there was no “useful purpose” of keeping him in custody. It continued, “The investigation in the case has already been completed and the petitioner is no more required for the purpose of investigation.” 
Subsequently, it requested that Swati should be granted post-arrest bail till the conclusion of the trial “in the best interest of justice.”