A district and sessions court in the capital delivered a significant verdict on Wednesday, exonerating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Azam Swati in two high-profile cases concerning contentious tweets purportedly aimed at the military leadership.
Announcing the decision, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka dismissed the legal actions registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), thereby clearing the PTI senator of all charges.
The legal proceedings originated in November 2022 when the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing filed the lawsuits. Swati was accused of posting offensive remarks against senior military officials from his official account on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
The FIA had described the senator’s posts as part of a “malicious campaign” intended to incite unrest and discredit state institutions. The cases were later transferred to the newly formed National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), established in April 2025, for further handling.
Senator Swati’s legal troubles began with his initial arrest by the FIA on October 13, 2022, over a social media post considered hateful and threatening towards the then-army chief, the judiciary, and other state bodies.
Despite securing bail, he was taken into custody again on November 27, 2022, for allegedly using abusive language targeting the military leadership. While on judicial remand at Adiala Jail, he was handed over to Balochistan police on December 2, 2022, to face another similar case registered in Quetta.
The senator subsequently found legal relief in other provinces. The Balochistan High Court (BHC) ordered all related cases within its jurisdiction to be quashed. Following his release, Sindh Police also detained him on similar charges, but the Sindh High Court (SHC) later intervened, granting him bail and ordering the dismissal of all such lawsuits in that province.