–Azam Swati’s son had claimed to reach an agreement with other party
ISLAMABAD: Members of a family, who were booked for allegedly attacking servants of Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati in Islamabad, have denied reconciliation as claimed by Swati’s son Usman Swati on Tuesday.
The slum dwellers were arrested and sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand after Usman Swati lodged a case in Shehzad Town police station on charges of trespassing on their farmhouse a few days ago.
The dispute, which reportedly started after a cow of the family entered the land of the minister, also allegedly led to the transfer of Islamabad police chief Jan Muhammad.
The Supreme Court, however, came down hard on the government on Monday and suspended the transfer, issued on verbal directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was approached by Swati after the Islamabad IGP “failed to pick his phone calls”.
Earlier in the day, a judicial magistrate in Islamabad approved bail of the suspects that included three men and two women with Rs10,000 surety bonds each.
Addressing a press conference at National Press Club, the affected family said the reports of reaching an agreement with the minister’s son were baseless and vowed to stage a sit-in in front of PM Khan’s Bani Gala residence if deprived of justice.
A 12-year-old girl of the family said that her father Niaz Muhammad, her younger sister and mother were sent to Adiala jail without committing any crime in this “fabricated” case. Swati’s guards opened fire and her family was falsely accused of terrorism, she added.
“The whole cow episode is an excuse to grab our land and our house,” said the young girl, adding that the family was ready to go to any extent for justice.
Speaking to the media persons earlier in the day, Usman Swati had claimed that an agreement had been reached between the two parties, terming the whole episode a “simple case of fighting between two families”.
“Azam Swati has nothing to do with this matter,” said his son Usman.
“This is a simple matter regarding a fight between two families. The family of one of our employees and these people [suspects] had a fight,” he said in response to a question about truce conditions.
“A case was lodged on my complaint as I reached the site of the incident. Neither my family nor I had anything to do with the fight and my only fault is that I became the complainant and did not put forward my employees’ names.”
“I have nothing to do with the case which is being heard in the Supreme Court,” he said.