The Islamabad sessions court suspended the physical remand of PTI leader and Chairman Imran Khan’s Chief of Staff Shahbaz Gill until Monday after reserving a verdict on a police plea for his eight-day physical remand in a case under sedition charges.
According to the details, the police had requested an extension in his physical remand to which the court inquired why the police were requesting another eight days of Gill’s custody when a two-day remand had already been granted.
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At this, the court rejected the plea of extension in physical remand. Moreover, the court ordered to send Shahbaz Gill 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.
Judicial magistrates refuses to hand over physical custody of @SHABAZGIL to the @ICT_Police & sends him back to PIMS with a direction to conduct a thorough investigation regarding his asthma and respiratory disease.
Quite reassuring to see honest and diligent judicial officers. pic.twitter.com/SzCm5CqFou— Muhammad Ahmad Pansota (@Pansota1) August 19, 2022
Friday morning, Shahbaz Gill was escorted to an Islamabad district and sessions court where the police will request an extension in his physical remand.
The police escorted Shahbaz Gill in a wheelchair from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) in the early hours of Friday. Videos of Shahbaz Gill being escorted made the rounds on social media which show heartbreaking visuals of the PTI leader who looked worse for wear despite being declared “fit” by the hospital’s medical board.
However, as per the video, Shahbaz Gill – who suffers from asthma – is seen wheezing and struggling to breathe. He also claimed that his oxygen mask was snatched away.
Heartbreaking scenes – Pakistan under worst fascism right now! @hrw @amnesty @UNHumanRights @amnestysasia #ReleaseShahbazGill #شہباز_گل_کو_رہا_کرو pic.twitter.com/rPJ6OYcBw1
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 19, 2022
Islamabad police term Gill’s illness ‘an excuse’
Pertinent to mention that Shahbaz Gill’s health and claims of torture have caused quite the controversy. Earlier, a medical board comprising of specialised physicians declared Shahbaz Gill ‘fit’. Prior to this, it was learnt that the medical board decided to not discharge Shahbaz Gill from the hospital since he was suffering from “phobia, anxiety and asthma”.
On the other hand, the police of the federal capital termed Gill’s illness “an excuse”, saying that the medical board had declared him “completely fit”.
Read more: PTI leaders rage over Shahbaz Gill’s treatment in police custody
“The accused is pretending to be sick and wants to hinder the investigations through this excuse but this cannot come in the way of law,” the Islamabad Capital Territory Police said in a statement issued on Twitter.
بیماری کا بہانا کرکے ملزم شہباز شبیر تفتیش میں رکاوٹ پیدا کرنا چاہتے ہیں۔حیلے بہانوں سے قانون کا راستہ نہیں روکا جاسکتا۔
2/2#ICTP #OPS— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) August 19, 2022