Rejecting Islamabad police’s plea for an extension in the physical remand of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill a district and sessions court Wednesday sent him to prison on judicial remand.
Judicial magistrate Aman Malik heard the plea seeking a seven-day remand extension in a sedition case. Apart from that, the police also asked the court to grant judicial remand of the PTI leader in an arms recovery case.
Gill was arrested on August 9 in Islamabad after a sedition case was filed against him for inciting mutiny within the Pakistan Army. He has since been back-and-forth in police custody and at the PIMS hospital.
He was already facing sedition charges, but the Islamabad police a day earlier also registered a case against the PTI leader over possession of an illegal weapon.
The prosecution sought an extension in the remand, which was strongly opposed by PTI’s lawyers. After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its verdict and announced it a few moments later.
The PTI has repeatedly demanded that the party leader be released on bail, alleging that he is facing humiliation, torture and sexual abuse in police custody.
Gill, during the raid at his Parliament Lodge’s residence, also told journalists that he had been sexually assaulted.
The party leader also asserted that he was denied treatment for asthma; however, the federal government and police have refuted the allegations.
The Human Rights Watch has demanded an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into the alleged torture of Gill in police custody.
