‘I was tortured mentally, physically in jail,’ Shah Mehmood claims

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed to have endured mental and physical torture during his incarceration.

The former Foreign Minister appeared before Duty Magistrate Syed Jahangir Ali in the GHQ attack case, asserting that he was subjected to harsh conditions, both mentally and physically, and exposed to severe cold weather while in jail.

During the court session, he insisted on recording his statement in the presence of his counsel, expressing dissatisfaction with the police’s attempt to obtain his statement without legal representation as per Geo News.

The former foreign minister said he was being treated in jail for the past several months in the same manner. “Is this justice? I am tortured,” he asked.

Qureshi said he will swear on the Holy Quran that he was not present in Rawalpindi on May 9 and instead, he was in Karachi that day.

“I was with my wife in the Aga Khan Hospital. Get the record from PEMRA, I was present in Karachi,” said Qureshi.

Qureshi, who had previously been granted bail by three Supreme Court judges, questioned the justice system, highlighting the fluctuating circumstances of his arrest and release.

He said that he was arrested under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 3.

“One night I am arrested and in the morning I am told that I am being released. When I asked what made it happen, they replied there is a loophole in the case,” he said.

Qureshi said he was ordered to be arrested on December 26 then the date was changed to 27. He was within the jail’s premises when Punjab police arrived to arrest him, he said.

“I have been a member of the assembly for five times. SHO Ashfaq tortured me. He kicked and punched me,” he said. He said he felt pain in his chest for which he was begged the superintendent police for hours to take him to hospital.

“A doctor was called who was carrying just a blood pressure checking machine,” he added.

Earlier, the Rawalpindi Police reportedly barred journalists from entering the judicial complex, citing a ban on media coverage of the GHQ attack case against Qureshi.

His legal counsel expressed concern over the restriction, questioning the nature of an in-camera trial with limited media access.

Qureshi’s daughter, Meher Bano Qureshi, filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against what she termed the “unlawful abduction” of her father, as per Geo News.

Meherbano stated in the petition that Qureshi had been granted bail by the Supreme Court, and referred to the remark of Justice Athar Minallah, who stated: “The incarceration of the petitioners will not serve any useful purpose.

Moreover, their release on bail during the period of elections would ensure ‘genuine elections and thus enable the people to exercise the right to express their will effectively and meaningfully.”

The PTI vice chairman’s recent arrest, just after securing bail in a cipher case, raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his detention.

President Arif Alvi also weighed in, calling on authorities to address the alleged mistreatment of Qureshi and uphold human rights and dignity.

“We must not become a state where human rights and dignity are violated without fear. Authorities must pay attention to the confiscation of documents, the brutal action against the protesters, and now the indecent treatment of the former foreign minister by two governments,” Alvi wrote on X (former Twitter).

The arrest is linked to cases related to the May 9 riots following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. Qureshi is implicated in a GHQ attack case and is expected to appear in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) for further proceedings.