ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Senator Azam Swati on Tuesday urged described Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to investigate his “custodial torture”, saying he wouldn’t have cared had they killed him, but they violated him which was an attack on his honor.
Speaking during a press conference in the federal capital, Swati thanked Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial for looking into his arrest by the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) in a case related to “controversial” tweets.
Some shocking details of custodial torture presented by @AzamKhanSwatiPk in his press conference. #حقیقی_آزادی_لانگ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/RuB1J4eNIu
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 1, 2022
“I would not care even if they had killed me but they violated my privacy and I will knock on the door of all international institutions. If a senator is not protected, no citizen is safe in this country.”
The PTI leader said his torture was an attack on his dignity and the honor of his family.
Since his detention, Swati has claimed that he was tortured and stripped naked, and he has identified two military personnel as the perpetrators. At a press conference with him, PTI chairman Imran Khan also denounced the “custodial abuse” of Swati. It was also denounced by the Senate’s Human Rights Standing Committee.
“I’ll not only fight on every forum in Pakistan, but internationally too. A sitting Senator’s dignity is not respected in this country“-@AzamKhanSwatiPk #حقیقی_آزادی_لانگ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/OrpU7i5LDn
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 1, 2022
In today’s news briefing, Swati also mentioned a representative from the FIA.
Addressing General Bajwa, Swati swore that his statements were true.
“You have 27 days left at GHQ,” he said “You have 27 days left at GHQ […] you must follow [the Constitution] and summon Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime assistant director Ayaz.”
“I request Supreme Court to take into custody my CCTV footage and rest of proofs”-@AzamKhanSwatiPk #حقیقی_آزادی_لانگ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/n8WEes2WAT
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 1, 2022
The senator insisted that the FIA official was present when he was tortured and that he was operating the car when he was taken up.
“Sadly, this [Constitution] also doesn’t apply to Major General Faisal and Sector Commander Faheem — who are above the law,” Swati said.
“They kept beating me the entire way and one of the men was filming the entire ordeal as I screamed,” he said. The senator said it must be investigated who was “cracking jokes” as he was being stripped naked.
“This 74-year-old senator is not becoming a source of shame for you. I am a living corpse and fighting for my fundamental rights. I believe that this sacrifice from my family may protect a citizen, professor or a general from being stripped [in the future].”
He waved a copy of the Constitution and lamented that “this rulebook is not applicable to at least 1,000 people”.
“Sadly, this [Constitution] also doesn’t apply to Major General Faisal and Sector Commander Faheem — who are above the law,” he said.
In order to verify the validity of his claims, he also asked the Supreme Court to seize the CCTV footage from his home and undertake a forensic audit.
Swati mentioned the army head by name “I haven’t suffered a martyrdom like Arshad Sharif. Send your troops to me, Bajwa Sahib, so I may find out who played such a cruel game with a sitting senator.”
He urged the CJP and the nation’s judges to uphold justice and stop future instances of such “extrajudicial treatment.”
