Copyright brecorder
ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday extended the interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in a case registered at Sangjani police station. During the hearing, Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain extended Qaiser’s bail and barred the police from arresting him. The court, however, did not hear arguments on Qaiser’s pre-arrest bail, scheduling them for a hearing on November 17. Meanwhile, a local court hearing cases against PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati over controversial tweets adjourned proceedings due to the non-availability of prosecution witnesses. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka postponed the hearing until October 29 after being informed that the witnesses did not appear. Swati appeared in the court along with his counsel. The cases against Swati were registered in November 2022 by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing, and now the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) is dealing with these after its establishment in April 2025. According to the agency, the PTI lawmaker had launched a “highly obnoxious campaign” on Twitter with the alleged intent to defame and malign state institutions. The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by Technical Assistant Aneesur Rehman. It included sections from both the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and the Pakistan Penal Code, such as Section 131 (abetting mutiny), 500 and 501 (defamation), 505 (public mischief), and 109 (abetment). The FIA maintained that the tweets posted by Swati were part of a malicious attempt to create unrest and discredit institutions with “ulterior motives.” Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
