Pakistan

IHC directs police to ensure Shahbaz Gill isn’t tortured during remand

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

IHC asks govt to appoint a SSP to supervise Gill during remand.
Court also directs govt to appoint retired judge for inquiring about Gill’s episode.
Gill was arrested on Aug 9 from Banigala Chowk over charges of inciting mutiny.

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday directed the police to ensure that Shahbaz Gill — the chief of staff of PTI Chairman Imran Khan — is not tortured during custody.

The PTI had approached the IHC against Gill’s remand extension, however, Acting IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq asked police to ensure the PTI leader’s safety — and did not issue orders for his release.

Gill was taken into custody on August 9 from Banigala Chowk over charges of inciting mutiny among the public against the ranks and files of the Pakistan Army by making some remarks during a TV programme.

The PTI contends that its leader was “tortured” during incarceration and was not medically fit to be sent into physical remand while the police insist on him being given into its custody for further investigation.

In the verdict, which was reserved earlier today, the court asked the federal government and interior secretary to appoint an officer for inquiring about Gill’s entire episode.

The IHC also ordered that a retired judge should be appointed as an inquiry officer.

The court said that an SSP-rank officer should oversee how Gill is being treated during his remand and ensure he is not tortured.

Hours before, a district and sessions court in Islamabad granted a two-day physical remand of senior PTI leader Gill in a sedition case filed against him, after reviewing his medical report.

Gill was presented before the court earlier shortly after being discharged from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Police reject claims of torturing Gill

In a detailed report submitted to the IHC, inspector-general Islamabad Police rejected all the allegations levelled against the police and accused Gill of hampering the investigation.

The report mentioned that as per jail authorities and experts statements at the PIMS hospital, no signs of torture were found on the body of the PTI leader.

“He was examined by three medical boards and was also given the opportunity for medical examination twice by the ICT administration when he was in jail but he refused this opportunity for unknown reasons,” the report read.

The report mentioned that the allegations of physical, mental, and sexual torture in police or jail custody could not be “corroborated by any plausible evidence”.

The conduct of Gill to date is not above board and he has put up a show to avoid the physical remand, the police report said.

It added that the allegations, therefore, are frivolous and an attempt to hamper the police investigation.

Business

Price of LPG “slashed” by Rs. 20 per kilogram

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Sources claim that LPG rates have been lowered by Rs 20, making the cost per kilogram drop from Rs 280 to Rs 260.

It is noteworthy to remark that the costs of LPG were reduced by Rs 20 per kilogram earlier, resulting in a total reduction of Rs 40 per kilogram within a few weeks.

The price of liquefied petroleum gas for the month of May 2024 was lowered by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on April 30.

The LPG tariffs were lowered by Rs 11.88 to Rs 238.46 per kilogram in accordance with the OGRA’s notice. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the new rates will go into effect.

In April of last year, the price per kilogram of LPG was Rs 250.34. pricing reduction of Rs 140.18 has resulted in a new pricing for home LPG cylinders set for May 2024 of Rs 2813.85.

The OGRA reported a drop in liquefied petroleum gas pricing in April. The price of LPG is now Rs 250.34 per kg instead of Rs 256.78 due to a reduction of Rs 6.44 per kg.

The price of the household cylinder was fixed at Rs 2954.03 for the month of April, down from Rs 3030.12, a decrease of Rs 76.9.

Business

ADB delegation stops by FBR headquarters

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi oversaw the expedition, which also involved Sana Masood, Farzana Noshab, and Senior Public Sector Management Specialist Laisiasa Tora. The meeting included presentations from economists as well, according to an FBR press release.

The officers focused on structural and policy adjustments as they discussed the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program’s implementation at the meeting.

$300 million was given to the Pakistani government by ADB in December 2023 as a result of the hard work and dedication of FBR. Better laws, regulations, and institutional capability for the FBR were established by Sub-Program I.

With the $300 million in funding provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of Pakistan in December 2023, the delegation conveyed satisfaction with the program’s effective launch.

The FBR also underlined how crucial digitization is to recording the economy and boosting productivity in a sustainable way.

In order to promote the Government of Pakistan’s Digital Tax Administration Project, both parties decided to look into measures to improve their cooperation.

Latest News

Off-duty police in Islamabad are prohibited from donning uniforms.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The new directives, according to specifics, were sent via wireless by the federal capital police and state that no officer may wear a uniform when reporting for duty or leaving it.

According to the police official, uniforms will only be worn when on duty; otherwise, two policemen will accompany each other during duty hours and will always be required to carry guns.

A different development was the earlier release of an app by the Islamabad Police with the goal of improving crime prevention and public safety.

Launched on the orders of former Interior Minister Sarfraz Akbar Bugti, the recently released ICT-15 app aims to empower the people of the capital city by giving them the ability to actively engage in the battle against crime and protect their areas.

Residents of Islamabad can now easily download and utilize the ICT-15 app because it is easily accessible on the Google Play Store.

Citizens can report a variety of issues with this easy-to-use application, such as incidents, unlawful behavior, complaints against law enforcement, the presence of undocumented people, or any suspicious criminal activity.

The police promise quick reaction times as soon as information is reported using the app, so assistance will be provided as quickly as feasible.