Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership has strongly reacted to Islamabad district and sessions court’s decision of approving a two-day physical remand of PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill. The court was hearing a review plea seeking Gill’s remand in a sedition case.
Fragile state of mental & physical health because of the torture: Imran Khan
“He is in a fragile state of mental & physical health because of the torture inflicted on him when he was abducted & taken to undisclosed location & then again at the police station,” tweeted PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
He said that Gill’s remand is a “part of the conspiracy to target me and PTI by forcibly getting false statements against us similar to what they have been doing against social media activists”.
Handed to police for torture: Fawad
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry criticised the order and said that “judges sending political workers in remand for torture while knowing everything are criminals”.
“Gill is being sent into police custody for torture instead of interrogation,” said Fawad.
Fawad said that there is no parallel to the way human rights are being “utterly destroyed” in Pakistan.
He refused to give a false statement against Imran Khan: Asad Umar
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said that the reason behind the insistence on the physical remand of Gill is “more torture”.
“[I] met Shahbaz Gill in Adiala, [his] spirits are high. Despite the worst torture meted out to him in Islamabad, [Gill] refused to make a false statement against Imran Khan,” tweeted Umar.
Addressing a press conference, Umar said, “They [coalition government] forcefully want to get a statement by torturing Gill and we want to bring it on the record.”
“The government leaders should be investigated and questioned too,” he demanded.
“The police were provided Gill’s physical remand so they could get a statement from him. They are abusing him,” Umar reiterated.
‘Laws should be equal for everyone’: Faisal Javed
Senator Faisal Javed Khan said that the authorities may take action against Gill as he “made a huge mistake”.
However, he further said that the laws “should be equal for everyone”.
“We condemn the treatment meted out to Gill and this House should also condemn it,” Javed said in a speech in the Senate.
Shahbaz Gill was taken into custody on August 9 from Bani Gala Chowk for inciting the public against state institutions.
Read more: Shahbaz Gill behind bars: Islamabad court approves two-day physical remand, again
Last Friday (August 12), a district and sessions court in Islamabad hearing a sedition case against Shahbaz Gill rejected the prosecution’s request to extend Gill’s physical remand. Instead, the court had sent him to jail on judicial remand. A plea was then filed by Islamabad Advocate General Jahangir Khan Jadoon in the Islamabad High Court on August 13 challenging the order.
