A district and sessions court in Islamabad extended PTI Senator Azam Swati’s physical remand by another day on Sunday, with Duty Magistrate Shoaib Akhtar ordering the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to produce the accused at the next hearing on Monday.

Swati, who was arrested in the early hours of Thursday over a tweet in which he named the army chief General Bajwa, was initially sent on two-day remand, which was extended by another day on Saturday.

Swati was arrested over his sarcastic tweet in which he named and congratulated Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa over the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza in a money laundering case.

“Mr Bajwa congratulations to you and few with you. Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country. With these thugs getting free, you have legitimise corruption. How you predict now the future of this country (sic),” said the tweet.

During the hearing, the prosecutor requested 14-day physical remand while saying that the investigators needed more time. He said it was imperative that the senator’s mobile phone from which the tweet was sent was recovered.

Swati’s lawyer Babar Awan asked for Swati’s phone to be brought to the F-8 katcheri where the hearing was taking place.

Awan then asked Swati to stand on the chair and show his injured leg and toe to the judge. He said that Swati’s toe was broken while pleading that Swati not be remanded further.

“The government should focus on Swat instead of Swati,” he told the court referring to the increasing protests in Malakand division over the emergence of armed militants and suspension of internet services.

Allegations of torture

Speaking to the media outside the court, Swati made further claims of being tortured in custody.

He said that the FIA handed him over to “intelligence agencies” after registration of the case.

“They beat me in front of my daughters,” he said. “I was humiliated.”

Invoking the chief justice, he said: “Honourable chief justice, pay heed. I was subjected to extra-judicial torture.”

He said that he would use constitutional means to reveal and expose those involved in torture. “I will do anything for real freedom.”

Swati had claimed that he was “stripped and tortured” in his first conversation with journalists after his late-night arrest.

Government should keep an eye on Swat instead of Swati. The duty magistrate handed over Azam Swati to the FIA ​​on one more day’s physical remand.