ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, who was arrested on charges of sedition and inciting the public against the state institutions, was handed over to police on a two-day physical remand by an Islamabad court Wednesday morning.
He was produced before the court today where the Islamabad Police sought his 14-day physical remand to recover the mobile phone and the device which he used to make statements. The police said that they also have to investigate on whose directives the programme was aired.
Faisal Chauhdry, Gill's counsel, told the judge that the programme was not aired on anyone's directives.
After a brief hearing, the court reserved the verdict which was announced later giving Islamabad Police two-day remand of Shahbaz Gill.
The court ordered the police to present the PTI leader on Friday and get him medically examined.
Talking to media personnel outside, Chaudhry said that the PTI would approach the high court for dismissing the case against Khan's chief of staff.
The lawyer told journalists that he saw "spots of blood" on Gill's clothes and that he was tortured in an "organised manner". Chaudhry said the PTI leader informed the court of the "danger" he faces in police custody.
"Shahbaz Gill fears that if he is sent into remand, then he might not be able to the court again. The government, without any evidence, got a case registered against him."
A case has been filed against the PTI leader at the Kohsar Police Station on behalf of the state over his seditious comments on a TV show.
According to details, the FIR was registered at Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio's complaint under sections 34 (common intention), 109 (abetment), 120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), 121 (waging war against state), 124-A (sedition), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempt to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty), 153 (provoking to cause riot),153-A (promoting enmity between different groups),505 (statement conducing to public mischief), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Gill was taken into custody by Islamabad Police on Tuesday from Banigala chowk, triggering a strong reaction from the PTI leadership who termed the arrest as "abduction".
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Interior Minister Ranaulah said that the comments were according to a script prepared under the supervision of PTI Chairperson Imran Khan which was carried forward by former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and Gill.
The conspiracy was aimed at creating rifts between ranks of the state institution, the interior minister said, adding that Gill has been arrested on account of sedition charges according to the law.
It has become pretty obvious that IK wants to divide the nation by giving air to provocative statements, he had said.
Gill, while speaking to the media ahead of his court appearance, told journalists that he was not "ashamed" of the statement that he made on the private television channel.
"There was nothing in my statement that I should be ashamed of [....] my comment was of a person who loves his armed forces," the ex-special assistant to the prime minister said.
The PTI leader said he did not attempt to incite anyone and that he was only pointing towards those bureaucrats who were involved in "wrongdoings".