ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday allowed embattled PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s lawyers to meet him, and sought a report from the Islamabad police chief over reports of alleged torture on him while in custody.
IHC Acting Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up Gill’s plea against his physical remand and ordered authorities to allow Gill’s counsels to hold a meeting with their client at the hospital he is undergoing treatment at.
As the IHC hearing into PTI’s plea against Gill’s physical remand resumed Thursday, the police’s alleged mistreatment of him was at the centre of proceedings.
The Islamabad advocate general, additional attorney general and top police officials were summoned to the court, where the prosecutor insisted the firebrand party leader was not tortured.
According to the court order the judge ordered the report to be submitted on August 22 (Monday).
The order said that the place of Gill’s confinement should be informed to his friends and he himself should also be informed about his right to a counsel’s assistance and communication with friends and family.
Furthermore, the court order said that Adiala jail officials did not give a “satisfactory” explanation regarding the delay in Gill being handed over to the Islamabad police and were ordered to submit a written explanation, along with the relevant record, before the next hearing.
A day earlier, a judicial magistrate had granted Islamabad police two-day physical remand of Gill and ordered officials to conduct a medical examination.
However, the PTI leader, who was booked in a sedition case, was being held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Punjab government where the party is in power along with PML-Q.
In a bid to thwart the handover, arrangements were made to move Gill to Raw¬a¬l¬pindi District Head¬quarters (DHQ) Hospital after he complained of breathing difficulties.
A standoff ensued but the Islamabad police finally managed to get Gill’s custody and moved him to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Wednesday night.
The PTI has claimed that Gill has been tortured during his incarceration. The party has also alleged that the PTI leader is being coerced into making a statement against party chief Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, the PIMS medical board, constituted to conduct an examination of Gill, submitted its report with the court of Judicial Magistrate Raja Farrukh Ali Khan.
The medical board that examined Shahbaz Gill at PIMS hospital has advised to keep him at the hospital for the night.
The medical check-up of Shahbaz Gill was completed by the medical board at the PIMS hospital. The medical board decided to keep Shahbaz Gill in the hospital after abnormalities were detected in his ECG report.
The medical board and police officials agreed to keep Shahbaz Gill in hospital tonight.
Meanwhile, PPP senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokar on Thursday claimed to have seen visual evidence of “physical torture” on PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, calling the Shehbaz Sharif-led government “complicit” and “spineless” for failing to stop such an atrocity.
“[I] have seen very disturbing pictures of physical torture on Shahbaz Gill,” Khokhar, whose party is a part of the PML-N-led coalition government in Centre, tweeted. “No matter how much you disagree with or dislike him, a man’s dignity should not have been violated like this.”
Khokhar said that the government was either “complicit or spineless” for not preventing such an atrocity.
“Shame on us. Include the so-called Pakistan Democratic Movement in it too. Serving democracy by torturing political opponents. What a farce,” he added. –Agencies
