PHC Orders Removal of Azam Swati’s Name from ECL
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati permission to travel abroad, instructing authorities to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
As per the court’s written order, Swati’s name must also be removed from other travel restriction lists, including the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) and the Passport Control List (PCL). Swati had challenged the travel restrictions, arguing that the ban was unjustified.
In a separate legal development, the Lahore High Court (LHC) recently approved bail for Swati in a case registered on October 4 at Taxila police station. The division bench, consisting of Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram, granted bail against a surety bond of Rs50,000. Swati, who had been in custody for four months, is currently incarcerated in Attock Jail.
During the hearing, Swati’s lawyer, Dr. Babar Awan, argued that his arrest was politically motivated and that protesting is a fundamental constitutional right. He asserted that the charges against Swati were baseless and that his detention was an infringement on his rights. The court’s decision to approve bail has also opened the possibility of release for other arrested individuals involved in the October 4 and 5 protests in Taxila, Hassan Abdal, and Attock.
Earlier, in October 2024, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad had also granted bail to Swati in a case registered under terrorism-related charges at Sangjani Police Station. The court, presided over by Judge Abu Al-Hasanat Muhammad Zulkernain, approved bail upon submission of Rs20,000 surety bonds. Swati was accused of inciting protests that allegedly resulted in property damage, but his legal team insisted that the charges were politically motivated.
Additionally, Swati was arrested in November 2022 from his Chak Shahzad farmhouse by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing. He was accused of making controversial tweets targeting senior military officials. Following his arrest, he was presented before a judicial magistrate, who granted FIA a two-day physical remand.
An FIR had been filed against him on November 26, 2022, by the FIA Cyber Crime Wing, alleging that he ran a “malicious campaign” against state institutions, including the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The complaint, filed by Islamabad Cyber Crime Reporting Centre’s technical assistant Aneesur Rehman, stated that Swati’s tweets were intended to spread misinformation and create instability.
Swati continues to contest the legal cases against him, maintaining that his actions were politically motivated expressions rather than criminal offenses.
