Alleged torture case :Adviser to CM Shakeel Khan, others secure bail

MINGORA: Advisor to Chief Minister on Population Welfare Shakeel Khan and other activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominated in a case of torture on an officer of Public Health Department on Thursday obtained bail before arrest from a local court.

Advisor Shakeel Khan and PTI workers Sadiq Shah and Ghafoor Khan secured a bail before arrest from the court in the case. They were accused of beating up an officer of the Public Health Department.

Other PTI workers including Ishaq Khan, Imdadur Rehman and Asad Khan also submitted an application to the court to allow filing of a case against the Executive Engineer Public Health Department Fazal Hayat, Sub-divisional Officer Shah Nawaz, Sub-Engineer Iftikhar Ahmad and an Accountant Muhammad Naeem for allegedly aiming guns at them and stopping them from entering the department office.

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference PTI councilors, including Amir Bacha, Ikram, Sikandar Hayat and others alleged that corruption is prevalent in the Public Health Department and asked the provincial government to order an investigation into anomalies in the projects carried out by the department. They demanded quashing of the FIR against Shakeel Khan and others.

They accused Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha, Member Provincial Assembly belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party, and district council of conspiring to defame the PTI. They said the advisor called an explanation from the Public Health Department officers over reports of corruption in various projects in Thana, Jalal Kot, Mura Banda and other areas in Malakand Agency.

They said the warning unnerved the officials of the Public Health Department and they got registered a ‘fake’ case against Shakeel Khan and other PTI workers to pre-empt an investigation against them. They threatened to launch a protest campaign if their demands were not accepted.

On the other hand, Divisional Superintendent Engineering Public Health Department Barullah Khan visited the affected Sub-Engineer Iftikhar Ahmad and assured him full support.  He also obtained copies of the medical report of torture on the officer and FIR and vowed to provide protection to officials of the Public Health Department.