Interim Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi and Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr Usman Anwar on Saturday jointly addressed the press conference, presenting their case that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Ali Bilal lost his life in a car accident and not due to custodial torture by the Punjab police.
Both of them claimed that PTI leadership had known the truth yet accused the Punjab government of Bilal’s death.
CM Naqvi said that the Vice president of the PTI in Central Punjab Raja Shakeel informed PTI leader Yasmin Rashid that Bilal was hit by a car. Later, Rashid also informed the party about it at Zaman Park.
He added that all the evidence will first be taken to Bilal’s family. He claimed that the PTI worker’s father was also offered money to stick to torture allegations.
Naqvi asserted that the government will financially help the family.
“I am accused of murder, is it that easy to level murder accusations on someone?” he asked, adding that the PTI is openly asking to file an FIR for the murder.
Naqvi said he would have answered the accusations “in a different manner” had he not been in CM’s position.
Addressing the presser, Punjab IG said that the people who brought Bilal to the hospital have been arrested and will be presented before a court.
“Action will be taken if evidence of police torture is found,” the IG said.
During the press briefing, confessional video statements of the two suspects, who are currently under police custody, were also played.
On March 8, PTI workers were picked up by the police when a clash took place just before a scheduled election rally.
Later, the party leadership claimed that Bilal was tortured and killed while in police custody. Bilal’s postmortem report, issued by the Mayo Hospital, says the victim suffered “massive blunt trauma”, while a fracture to his skull and subsequent bleeding has been cited as the cause of death. The report also noted damage to his liver, spleen and testes, which led to profuse bleeding.
