Pak authorities arrest PTI Senator for tweets against military officials

Pakistan authorities on Sunday arrested a Senator of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party for allegedly using abusive and threatening language against senior military officials.

Azam Swati was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for the second time in less than two months for tweets against army leaders. He was previously arrested by the FIA in October.

A first information (FIR) report was registered under Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (Peca) by the FIA on the complaint of the state through Islamabad Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) Technical Assistant Aneesur Rehman.

Also Watch| In first rally since attack, Imran Khan announces resignation of party leaders from all assembly seats

The FIR stated that Swati and three other Twitter accounts — @Wolf1Ak, @HaqeeqatTV_20 and @Azaadi99 — “with malafide intentions and ulterior motives, started [a] highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets […] against state institutions” and senior government functionaries, including outgoing army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Swati on November 26 tweeted that he would go after a senior military official at every forum, the FIR stated. On November 19, @Azaadi99 shared a tweet which held generals responsible for the country’s destruction to which Swati replied with “thank you”.

Further, @Wolf1Ak on November 24 stated that “tabdeeli” had to begin by clearing the filth of the “corrupt generals” from the institution, to which Swati again replied with “thank you”.

The complaint said on Nov 24, @HaqeeqatTV_20 tweeted about outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the senator responded to it “with strong language”.

The FIR said such “intimidating tweets of blaming and naming” were a “mischievous act of subversion to create a rift between personnel of armed forces to harm the state of Pakistan”.