Azam Swati’s non-bailable arrest warrant issued in controversial tweets case

• Warrant issued over PTI senator failure to show up before court.
• Judge postpones Swati's indictment in controversial tweet case. 
• PTI leader's counsel expresses ignorance about Swati whereabouts.

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Tuesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Azam Swati in the case of a controversial tweet.

Special Judge Central Azam Khan issued the warrant on the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) request over Swati’s failure to appear before the court.

During the hearing of the case earlier today, the court also postponed Swati's indictment in the case due to his absence.

FIA prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi asked the court to issue Swati non-bailable arrest warrants as he did not show up in the court.

"We acted on the warrant [issued earlier]. However, Azam Swati was not at his residence when [the officials] arrived there," the investigating officer said.

When asked in this regard, Swati's lawyer expressed ignorance about Swati’s whereabouts and said he could not contact his client.

The judge, adjourning the hearing briefly, summoned the officer who was sent to Swati's home.

When the hearing resumed, Imtiaz, the FIA officer who was summoned, appeared before the court.

He informed the court that neither Swati was present at home nor did anyone open the residence's gate when he went there.

Then, the prosecutor reiterated his request to issue Swati's non-bailable arrest warrant. Abbasi told the judge that in today's era of electronic media, people are aware of events as they happen.

Swati's lawyer intervened and said that cases of politicians who left the PTI after addressing press conferences were disposed of. He asked the court to ensure that before it issues a non-bailable arrest warrant, it should first ask law enforcers to follow up on the bailable arrest warrants.

"A high court ruling has set a precedence that [authorities] should first comply with a bailable arrest warrant," he said.