Shahbaz Gill is fit and healthy: PIMS medical report

• Shahbaz Gill is fit and healthy, says medical report issued by PIMS hospital.
• Gill's different tests were taken on Thursday. All tests were clear. 
• Report says no evidence found that he was tortured.

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan's close aide Shahbaz Gill is absolutely healthy, declared a medical report by the PIMS Hospital.

Sources said a board of doctors of the PIMS hospital released Gill's medical report late Thursday. The medical board issued the report after conducting 10 different tests, including the coronavirus test. All his tests are clear, according to the report.

Besides this, six different X-rays were also carried out. The report says the PTI leader is in good physical health and no signs of torture were found on his body. 

Sources say that Shahbaz Gill can be discharged from the hospital at any time. The doctors of the medical board are of the opinion that Shahbaz Gill is fully fit but they have prevented police officers from interrogating him at the hospital premises.

However, the Islamabad police have not decided to transfer him from the hospital to the police station. The sources said the police seek to transfer the accused from the hospital to Bakshi Khana [the prisoners' room at tehsil/district/civil/sessions courts] in the morning. Later, they will produce him before a court to request an extension in his physical remand.

Gill treated worse than animals: Hashim Dogar 

Home Minister Punjab Hashim Dogar said that Shahbaz Gill was "treated worse than animals" during his time in police custody.

"Shahbaz Gill is in depression. The police wanted an unfortunate incident to take place," the home minister told journalists in Lahore.

Dogar alleged that the Islamabad police tortured Gill while he was in their custody and that an inquiry has been launched against the DIG and SP for their conduct.

Court allows Gill's lawyers to see him

Earlier, Gill was brought to the hospital under heavy police guard. No one was allowed to see him in the hospital room. However, on August 18, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) allowed PTI leader Shahbaz Gill's lawyers to meet him at the facility where he is undergoing medical treatment.

Earlier, a district and sessions court remanded Gill into police custody for a further 48 hours. However, PTI challenged the case in IHC.

Following the order of the remand's extension, the PTI leader's condition started to deteriorate. At first, he was shifted to the jail's hospital. It was later that day decided that he needs a complete medical checkup. After hours-long struggle between the Islamabad and Rawalpindi police forces for his custody, he was shifted to the Pakistan Institute Of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital from Adiala Jail by the Islamabad police.

A four-member medical board also unanimously noted that Gill needs to be monitored further and assessed by cardiologists and pulmonologists.

In its report, the medical board also said that Gill "is a known case of asthma since childhood and has been on inhaled bronchodilators when required, now presented with shortness of breath, body aches, including left shoulder, back, neck, fight gluteal region and left-sided chest pain".

The case

Gill has been in police custody since August 9 when the Islamabad police arrested him in a sedition case after he passed controversial remarks on a private news channel. According to the Islamabad police spokesperson, he was booked on charges of sedition and inciting members of state institutions against the Pakistan Army. 

He was arrested last Tuesday afternoon from Banigala Chowk in the capital a day after making controversial remarks. 

A treason case was registered against him at the Kohsar Police Station under several sections of the 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.