Police fail to submit record in Gill case

ISLAMABAD: A court here Saturday gave the Islamabad Police the last chance to submit records pertaining to the sedition case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill, with his lawyers terming the delay ‘unfortunate’.

The court, in the last hearing on Friday, had asked the police to ensure that they present the records by Saturday; however, the law enforcement agency failed to meet the deadline.

The police, during Saturday’s hearing, told the court that the investigation officer, who is in Karachi and has the records, could not reach the capital and his phone had also been found switched off.

Special prosecutor Rizwan Abbas told the court that he wanted to see the records first before he could present his arguments.

At this, Gill’s lawyers said that it was “extremely unfortunate” that the police were delaying the matter.

In response, Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Mahmood Supra said that he was giving one “last chance” to the police to present the records by Monday. The hearing of the case was then adjourned till Monday.

Gill is facing charges after he allegedly incited mutiny within the military while speaking on a private TV channel earlier this month.

The Islamabad Police, earlier this week, also registered a case against the PTI leader over possession of an illegal weapon. He was booked in the case after police raided the incarcerated PTI leader’s room in the Parliament Lodges late Monday, where they recovered a pistol, a satellite phone and foreign currency.

The raid was carried out under the supervision of a senior superintendent of police (SSP) and Gill accompanied the police team in handcuffs. A pistol was recovered during the operation; however, Gill refused to take ownership of the weapon.

Separately, an Islamabad court accepted the bail application of Shahbaz Gill in the pistol recovery case. Duty Magistrate Naseeruddin heard the bail plea, filed by the PTI leader in the pistol recovery case on Saturday.

Granting him bail in the case, the duty magistrate ordered Gill to submit surety bonds worth Rs25,000. Lawyer Ali Bukhari appeared before the court on behalf of Shahbaz Gill.