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Azam Swati

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Azam Khan Swati
محمد اعظم خان سواتی
Chief of Swatis
Muhammad Azam Khan Swati in 2018
Minister of Narcotics Control and Railways
In office
6 April 2020 – 10 April 2022
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
Preceded byImran Khan
Succeeded byShahzain Bugti
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office
18 April 2019 – 6 April 2020
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterImran Khan
DeputyAli Muhammad Khan
Preceded byIjaz Shah
In office
31 March 2008 – 10 December 2010
PresidentAsif Ali Zardari
Prime MinisterYusuf Raza Gillani
Succeeded byIshfaq Ahmad
Member of the Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 March 2018
PresidentMamnoon Hussain
Arif Alvi
ConstituencyGeneral seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In office
22 March 2003 – 17 December 2011
PresidentPervez Musharraf
Asif Ali Zardari
ConstituencyGeneral seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Personal details
Born (1956-06-22) 22 June 1956 (age 68)
Mansehra, NWFP, Pakistan (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
CitizenshipPakistani
American (renounced)[1]
Political partyPTI (2011–present)
Other political
affiliations		Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (2002–2011)
RelativesLaiq Muhammad Khan (brother)
Khan Haji Faqeera Khan Swati (Maternal Grandfather)
Alma materUniversity of Peshawar
University of Karachi
University of Houston
ProfessionPolitician
Lawyer
Businessman

Muhammad Azam Khan Swati (Urdu, Pashto: محمد اعظم خان سواتی; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the Minister of Narcotics Control and Railways from 2020 to 2022. He is the elected senior vice president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.[2] He belongs to Swati tribe of Mansehra.

Swati, during his stay in the United States, owned a chain of stores, was a member of Pakistani American Congress, played important role in high-profile charity events.

He joined the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 2002 and became a senator in 2003 but resigned in 2011 and joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).[3] In 2018, he was again elected as a senator on PTI's ticket.[4] He has served as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs from 18 April 2019 to 6 April 2020 in the cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Early life and education

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Swati was born in Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and belongs to the Jalangial Alisheri family in the Mitravi subsection of Swati tribe. He is great-grandson of Jageerdar Akbar Khan Swati, the Khan of Gidarpur village, Mansehra, who held the title of Kursi Nashin and was a member of Queen Victoria's 34-member cabinet during the British India era.His maternal-grandfather(نانا), Khan Sahib Haji Faqeera Khan Swati was chief of Malakpur village located in Mansehra District and the elected MLA of Indian National Congress in 1937 Indian provincial elections.

Hubert Digby Watson in Hazara Gazetteer 1907 wrote about Azam Swati's maternal grandfather that "Faqira Khan Swati is a thorn in the nose of us Englishmen".[5]

Because his family members, including his father, his uncles and his cousins, were already involved in local politics, he himself became politicized early on, competing in school and college debates and being elected president of the student council numerous times.[6] His brother Laiq Muhammad Khan is also a politician.

In terms of education, Swati earned his B.A from the Post Graduate College, Abbottabad; his M.A (Economics) from the University of Peshawar; his LL.B (Bachelor of Law) as a gold medalist from the University of Karachi; his M.A (Political Science) also from the University of Karachi (Pakistan); his LL.M (Master of Laws) from the University of Houston Law Center, USA; his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from the South Texas College of Law; and his Texas State Bar Certified Attorney at Law.[6]

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Having migrated to the United States in 1978, Swati began by working in a convenience store for $2.50 an hour job. Over the years he eventually himself became the ower of several C-stores. In 1997, he founded the Pak-Oil Company and acquired jobber-ship for Exxon and other major oil and gas companies, being involved in fuel distribution and wholesale business. He also invested in real estate in Texas' Golden Triangle and neighbouring Louisiana.[6]

Swati would remain active both in business, eventually owning more than 100 convenience stores, apartment buildings and restaurant franchises in East Texas and Louisiana, and also in law, as an attorney in Houston, Texas, before renouncing his American citizenship in 2003, having returned to Pakistan in 2001 and joined its politics.[7]

Political career in Pakistan

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Swati became active in politics in the 1970s, when he was a practicing lawyer in Karachi and jailed many times for protesting against the military dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq.[6] This is the reason why he would move to the United States in 1978.

After moving back to Pakistan in 2001, he'd be elected as district nazim of Mansehra, noted for not accepting any salary or security protocol. He would then become a senator on a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam ticket, having joined the party in 2002. During these years he'd also help establish the Hazara University.[6]

Between 2008 and 2010, Swati had pursued the Hajj corruption case in the Supreme Court relentlessly, which ultimately forced the government to sack former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi.

In 2011, he joined Imran Khan's PTI.

In December 2020, he was appointed Federal Minister for Railways.

Arrests

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Multiple arrests for 'obnoxious tweets' against state institutions

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Swati was taken into custody on 13 October 2022 by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) cybercrime unit for allegedly making ‘controversial tweets’ against state institutions. The case was registered under Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and section 109 of the offense of aiding and abetting.[8] A district and session court in Islamabad on 21 October 2022 granted him post-arrest bail against surety bond worth PKR 1 million.[9]

Swati was arrested again on November 27 after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him in Islamabad over a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets [...] against state institutions”. It was the second time that Swati was booked and arrested by the FIA over his tweets about army officials in less than two months.[10] Islamabad High Court approved Swati's post-arrest bail on 3 January 2023 against the submission of surety bonds worth Rs 200,000.[10]

Torture

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According to Azam Swati, he was stripped naked and constantly beaten and assaulted by military forces after his arrest in 2022.[11][12] Swati has stated that military officials were behind his custodial torture.[13] Swati officially said that “They kept beating me” and urged institutions to investigate his torture. He claimed that authorities beat him the “entire way” after his arrest and violated the privacy and integrity of his family. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan and the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights condemned his torture. During press conferences and statements, Swati revealed in 2022 that it was the Pakistan Armed Forces and authorities that were behind his arrest and torture.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Hegstrom, Edward (12 May 2003). "The World in Houston: Success spans the globe". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  2. ^ Imran vows to make ‘corrupt’ rulers accountable Archived 10 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Azam Swati quits JUI-F, Senate - Pakistan - DAWN.COM". 7 December 2011.
  4. ^ Khan, Iftikhar A. (4 March 2018). "PML-N gains Senate control amid surprise PPP showing". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  5. ^ Watson, H. D. Ed (1908). Gazetteer Of The Hazara District, 1907.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Minister of Science and Technology: Muhammad Azam KHAN SWATI" (PDF). Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research of Austria (Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung). February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ Hegstrom, Edward (12 May 2003). "The World in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. ^ "PTI senator Azam Swati arrested". The Express Tribune. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Azam Swati granted bail in tweets case". The Express Tribune. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b Burney, Umer (3 January 2023). "Controversial tweets case: Azam Swati released from Islamabad sub-jail". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  11. ^ a b Dawn.com (1 November 2022). "'They kept beating me': Swati describes his 'custodial torture'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  12. ^ SpaGreen. "Senator Azam Swati lifts lid on who assaulted him, political role of state institution". inp.net.pk. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  13. ^ Momand, Dawn com | Abdullah (28 October 2022). "Azam Swati names military officials behind 'custodial torture'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
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