An Islamabad court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of PTI senator Azam Swati in the controversial tweets case against him, saying the same offence has been "committed twice". The court also observed that the offence was non-bailable and carried a jail term of 5 years to life imprisonment.
The verdict was issued by Islamabad special judge Azam Khan after hearing arguments from the prosecution and defense. He had reserved the judgement earlier today, and issued it nearly half an hour after the hearing.
During the hearing, prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi explained that senator Azam Swati has a verified Twitter account and is followed by famous personalities.
“Famous journalists and political personalities follow Azam Swati," the prosecutor pleaded. He added that the senator has never distanced himself from the account or the tweets. “There is no question that the Twitter account is not of Azam Swati,” Abbasi said.
Concluding their arguments, the prosecutor and government lawyer prayed the court would not grant bail to the senator in the instant case.
The PTI senator’s lawyer, Sohail Khan, contended that a cybercrime case cannot be registered over screenshots.
Senator Azam Swati is charged in multiple cases across Pakistan for his controversial tweets against former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Initially, the senator was arrested by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) on October 14, after he posted an offensive and threatening message on his verified Twitter account against the former army chief, judiciary and other state institutions.
The senator had secured bail in that case. But on November 27, the FIA once again arrested senator Swati for using abusive language against the military establishment, including the former army chief.
The senator was then booked in multiple cases across the country.
The verdict was issued by Islamabad special judge Azam Khan after hearing arguments from the prosecution and defense. He had reserved the judgement earlier today, and issued it nearly half an hour after the hearing.
During the hearing, prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi explained that senator Azam Swati has a verified Twitter account and is followed by famous personalities.
“Famous journalists and political personalities follow Azam Swati," the prosecutor pleaded. He added that the senator has never distanced himself from the account or the tweets. “There is no question that the Twitter account is not of Azam Swati,” Abbasi said.
Concluding their arguments, the prosecutor and government lawyer prayed the court would not grant bail to the senator in the instant case.
The PTI senator’s lawyer, Sohail Khan, contended that a cybercrime case cannot be registered over screenshots.
Senator Azam Swati is charged in multiple cases across Pakistan for his controversial tweets against former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Initially, the senator was arrested by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) on October 14, after he posted an offensive and threatening message on his verified Twitter account against the former army chief, judiciary and other state institutions.
The senator had secured bail in that case. But on November 27, the FIA once again arrested senator Swati for using abusive language against the military establishment, including the former army chief.
The senator was then booked in multiple cases across the country.