Immediately after his release from Attock Jail, Taxila police re-arrested PTI leader Azam Swati and took him to an undisclosed location. This action followed the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court’s decision to grant him bail one day earlier.
Swati faces a case at the Taxila police station that includes 20 charges. On November 1, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench, with Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, overruled his physical remand for eight cases, shifting him to judicial remand instead.
During a hearing, Justice Aurangzeb expressed regret for previously harsh remarks about Judge Abul Hastat Zulqarnain, admitting he should have avoided such comments in the judge’s absence.
The hearing attracted Swati’s lawyer, Advocate Ali Bukhari, and key law enforcement officers. They reviewed Judge Zulqarnain’s explanations, and the court requested records for all related cases.
Justice Aurangzeb questioned the necessity of granting physical remand late at 6:30 pm, citing the judge’s explanation about the time taken to process 13 cases. Advocate Bukhari revealed that details of one case were intentionally omitted in high court submissions.
Justice Aurangzeb asked if the prosecution was seeking further physical remand. The Prosecutor General hesitated, indicating uncertainty about making a definitive statement.
Justice Arbab then confirmed that physical remand had been granted in all cases, effectively meaning Swati had been arrested for each.
