August 19, 2022
ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday announced nationwide rallies to show solidarity with his chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, after the former premier claimed his party leader faced "sexual abuse" in police custody.
"I will lead a rally in Islamabad tomorrow [...] and rallies will be held in all divisional headquarters across the country," the PTI chairman told journalists.
Khan's brief presser came after he was barred from meeting Gill at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in the federal capital.
Despite the police's demand to extend Gill's remand in a sedition case, a district and sessions court in Islamabad earlier today ordered to send him to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a reassessment of his health.
"Shahbaz Gill's condition is not fine," the court remarked while announcing the verdict reserved by duty judge Judicial Magistrate Raja Farrukh Ali Khan.
PTI leaders have demanded the release of Gill from police custody and repeatedly claimed that he was tortured in police custody. Amnesty International has also raised concerns over reports regarding the PTI leader.
Gill is currently under treatment at the PIMS hospital after his health reportedly deteriorated at the Adiala Jail. Subsequently, a medical board was formed to determine the condition of Gill.
The board recommended several tests and X-rays for the PTI leader. The results showed that there were no abnormalities and his health was fine.
Meanwhile, in his press conference, Khan reiterated that he would prefer death and will not accept the current government.
In a series of tweets earlier, the PTI chairman demanded justice for his chief of staff and claimed that he was sexually abused while in police custody.
"All the pictures and videos show clearly Gill was tortured both mentally and physically, including sexual abuse — most too gruesome to relate," the PTI chairman said in a series of tweets.
the PTI chairman said the police humiliated Gill for breaking him down and that he now has full detailed information about the events regarding Gill's episode.
"ICT police says it did not inflict any torture. So my question is: Who tortured Gill?" Khan asked.
The PTI chairman added that there is a general perception in the public at large and in "our minds too as to who could have carried out the gruesome torture".
"Remember the public will react. We will leave no stone unturned to find out those responsible and bring them to justice," he added.
Reacting to Khan’s visit, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed the PTI leader was "addicted" to lying.
“Khan did not have the court order, which is a prerequisite to meet Gill, he will only be allowed if he has the court order,” she said, urging him to stop “creating a ruckus”.
The information minister recalled that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz met her father and party supremo Nawaz Sharif after getting the court's approval.
She said that Khan wants to subjugate Punjab chief minister and Lahore High Court. “He has been levelling allegations since the last 22 years,” Aurangzeb said, adding that Gill is medically fit according to the board, adding that “a team of 13 doctors cannot lie”.