Court rejects police request for extension in Gill’s remand

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court Friday rejected the police request to extend the physical remand of PTI senior leader Shahbaz Gill in the sedition case.

Gill was earlier presented in the court after completion of his two-day remand. The court, however, granted his judicial remand and sent him to jail while announcing the verdict that was reserved during the early morning hearing.

The police requested the judge for an extension in Gill’s remand. The investigation officer (IO) told the court that the CD of the private TV channel’s programme in which Gill had made anti-army remarks had been acquired and the audio evidence matched, reports Geo News.

On August 9, the Islamabad Police arrested Shahbaz Gill on the charge of “inciting the public against the state institutions”, according to the spokesman for the Islamabad Police.

A treason case was registered against him by the Kohsar police under several sections including Pakistan Penal Code, including 124-A (sedition), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot if rioting be committed; if not committed), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), among others.

PTI leaders Kanwal Shauzab and Ali Nawaz Awan reached the court in support of Gill; however, no other leader from the PTI met Gill in jail or came forward in his support since his arrest. The police barred the two politicians from moving towards the courtroom.

Speaking to the media outside the courtroom, Gill denied giving any confessional statement. “I haven’t made any confessional statement,” said the PTI leader, who earlier admitted to giving a statement against the Pakistan Army in line with the party’s policy.

Gill made the confession during an interrogation, sources said. “I think I did not give the statement in digression from the party’s policy,” he was reported as saying in a police statement. “I gave the statement after contemplation.”

During the hearing, the judge ordered expelling irrelevant persons from the courtroom and allowed the legal team to meet Gill. His handcuffs were removed at the lawyers’ request. In his statement before the court, Gill said: “I can’t even think of making such a statement about the Pakistan Army. I’m a professor, not a criminal.”

Gill pulled up his shirt and showed his back to the magistrate and claimed he had been severely tortured and no medical checkup had been done. “A fake report has been prepared for my medical examination,” he said.

The PTI leader complained that he was not kept at the Kohsar police lockup and was forced to stay awake all night and not allowed to meet his lawyers. In a related development, a court on Friday granted bail to the wife of Shahbaz Gill’s driver.

She was arrested on the charge of resisting the police raid at their residence. The court approved Saira’s bail on submission of surety bonds of Rs30,000 and ordered her immediate release.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah prevented the IGP Islamabad from raiding Banigala residence of the PTI Chairman Imran Khan to arrest Shahbaz Gill’s driver. Sources privy to the matter said the interior minister contacted IGP Dr Akbar Nasir to get the details related to Gill’s case.