BHC orders to quash all FIRs registered against Azam Swati

• Five FIRs were registered in Balochistan against Azam Swati. 
• Balochistan police had arrested PTI senator from Islamabad.
• Cases were registered in several Balochistan cities.

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday ordered that all first information reports (FIR) registered against PTI Senator Azam Swati for his controversial tweets against senior military officers be quashed.

The orders were issued by the BHC on a petition filed by the senator’s son against the registration of the cases in Balochistan.

Five FIRs were registered in Balochistan against Azam Swati for his controversial tweets against senior military officers. The FIRs were registered against the PTI leader in Kuchlak, Hub, Zhob, and two other areas of the province.

The Balochistan police had arrested the PTI senator last week from Islamabad and he was in their custody after a local court in Quetta approved the law enforcement agency's request for a physical remand.

At the time of his arrest, the senator was already on judicial remand in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, following his detention for a second time in the case of a controversial tweet on November 27. He was then shifted to Quetta under a transit remand acquired by the police.

The senator had then approached the BHC which ordered that no more cases be registered against him.

During the last hearing, the court had also sought a written report of the cases filed against the ailing Swati from the police chief.

Addressing the media after the hearing, Swati’s lawyer, Iqbal Shah, said that the court has granted relief to his client if not nominated in another case.

“The government’s lawyer was unable to prove the reason for registering cases against Azam Swati,” Shah said. He added that the investigation officers had said that the inspector general of Balochistan police wasn’t aware of the FIRs.

Controversial tweets cases

Swati is booked in multiple cases across the country for his controversial tweets against military officials.

He was first arrested in the case of a controversial tweet in October, after he posted a highly-hateful and threatening message against the army chief, judiciary, and other state institutions, on his official Twitter account.

The senator secured bail in that case.

But on November 27, the Federal Investigation Agency once again arrested him for using abusive language against senior military officers, including the then army chief.