ISLAMABAD – A local court in the country’s federal capital Islamabad on Monday granted a two-day physical remand of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill.
Shahbaz Gill, Imran Khan’s close aide who now faces sedition charges, was presented before the court of judicial magistrate Malik Aman from PIMS under tight security measures.
Reports in local media said the court expressed its displeasure over the appearance of Shahbaz Gill without record at which the latter also complained to the court that he had been on hunger strike since last night.
During the hearing, Gill claimed that he was not allowed to meet anyone, saying a senior police official brought him, assuring his bail.
Narrating his ordeal, the PTI leader said nearly a dozen police personnel shaved his beard by force and made him eat some fruits and drink juice against his will.
Gill counsel, Faisal Chaudhry and Babar Awan, also appeared before the court of Duty Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman for the hearing of the case.
PTI leader was earlier discharged from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. He was shifted to PIMS on court order.
Last week, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has rejected claims by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership of torturing political opponents.
She played a secretly recorded clip of Imran Khan’s aide, who can be seen interacting with Islamabad police at PIMS Hospital apparently in fine fettle.
Marriyum, after showing the clip, claimed that Gill is perfectly fine, saying no signs of torture could be seen on him. She lamented PTI’s social media campaigns and called them ‘fake’.
Shahbaz Gill was last seen in a bad shape when he was brought to the hospital in an ambulance as he was coughing due to breathing issues.
PTI chief Imran Khan also slammed PML-N government, saying Gill was ‘physically and sexually abused’ in custody. Global human rights group Amnesty International also called for an inquiry into the alleged torture of Gill.
Pakistani journalist Jameel Farooqui arrested over false claims of torture on Shahbaz Gill
The PTI leader was arrested on August 9 in a sedition case after he made controversial remarks on a private news channel.
Marriyum debunks propaganda about torture on Shahbaz Gill, releases secretly recorded video
