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Govt- PTI at odds over ‘mysterious’ death of Ali Bilal

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1 year ago

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The country on Wednesday was left shocked after horrific images of the body of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Ali Bilal — nicknamed Zille Shah — in Lahore began circulating on social media, not long after the PTI’s rally to launch its election campaign was called off. 

Soon “Zille Shah”, “Ali Bilal” and “Black Vigo” began to trend on Twitter and other social media platforms. 

Before the watching eyes of the horrified country, more and more details of Bilal’s death began to surface, including closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a private 4X4 vehicle, which can be seen dropping Bilal at a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the post-mortem report, the victim had 26 marks of torture on his body.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan then shared a video of Bilal being taken away in a police van claiming that he was killed in police custody.

“This video clearly shows that Ali Bilal, also affectionately called Zille Shah, was alive when taken to [the] police station. So he was killed while in police custody — such is the murderous bent of the present regime & Punjab police,” the former prime minister tweeted.

However, the screengrabs of the CTV footage reveal that Bilal was brought to the hospital in a private 4X4 vehicle by people who were dressed in civilian clothing and not police uniforms.

The footage also reveals the faces of those who brought Bilal to the hospital.

However, the police seem no closer to finding the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Instead, the Lahore police — in a statement Thursday — said that they have formed a committee comprising two police officers to probe Bilal’s death.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Elite Force Sadiq Ali and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imran Kashore have been named in the committee, the police said.

The inquiry committee will note down the statements of the witnesses and the committee will submit its report to the inspector general of police (IGP) Punjab in three days, added the law enforcement agency.

‘Custodial torture’

While the committee conducts its probe, Twitter is rife with contrary speculations on the matter. Proponents of PTI categorically claimed that the party worker was brutalised by police.

Taking to his Twitter handle, the PTI chief wrote: “Ali Bilal unarmed & our dedicated & passionate PTI worker murdered by Punjab police. Shameful, this brutality on unarmed PTI workers who were coming to attend election rally. Pakistan is in the grip of murderous criminals. We will file cases against IG, CCPO & others for murder.”

The official Twitter handle of the party also shared pictures of Bilal’s post-mortem report, stating: “Post Mortem report of Shaheed Ali Bilal shows use of blunt force & brutal torture causing 26 injuries”

Former minister of Human Rights of Pakistan and PTI senior leader Shireen Mazari took to the microblogging platform and alleged that Bilal’s demise was a result of “custodial torture”.

“Custodial torture against PTI ldrship [leadership] & workers has reached new depths of barbarism with the killing in custody of Ali Bilal. Question is why a powerful psycopath with his henchmen overseeing all this is being allowed to continue making [a] mockery of our Constitution & Rule of Law?”

‘A mystery’

However, the government maintains that the matter is being looked into. Speaking at Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb khanzada Kay Sath, interim Information Minister Amir Mir said yesterday: “The circumstances around the death of the PTI worker Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah have yet to be determined.”

He further said that the investigation into the matter had been going on since Wednesday night and the Punjab IG had formulated a two-member committee to look into the matter.

“The committee’s findings will be revealed in three days,” he said, adding, “This is because the preliminary investigations have found CCTV footage from the hospital in Lahore where this person was brought.”

When Bilal was taken to the hospital on a stretcher, doctors pronounced him dead and immediately afterwards, the person who brought him in disappeared, Mir added.

“We are trying the CCTV footage to find the owner of the vehicle.”

In response to a question, Mir said: “If you believe social media, we [Punjab interim government] killed him, but it must be asked what would we stand to gain from this death? This dead body is simply an attempt to stigmatise Punjab Police.”

He further said that when the body was brought to the hospital, the PTI rally had been over for several hours.

“This matter is a mystery to us,” the interim minister said.

Mir said that the preliminary post-mortem revealed two injuries — on the head and in the abdomen.

“Apparently, by circumstantial evidence, he was killed in a car accident. The question is: who was this person?”

We are still trying to figure out exactly which clash resulted in Bilal’s death, which was certainly not outside Zaman park.

“Had he been injured outside Zaman Park, he would have been taken to the hospital immediately.”

Asserting that should any police personnel be found involved in the matter, the perpetrator would be punished “according to law,” the interim information minister said: “We will find out who was behind this and where the body came from.”

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Containers were used to seal the Red Zone before JI’s sit-in at D-Chowk.

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Authorities in Islamabad have blocked off the Red Zone by erecting containers in front of today’s (Friday) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demonstration and the Jamaat-i-Islami sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad.

Jamaat-i-Islami is scheduled to stage a sit-in at Islamabad’s D-Chowk, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has declared a nationwide protest against the country’s soaring inflation and recent spike in electricity rates.

Containers have been used to block access to the Red Zone’s main crossroads, D Chowk, Nadra Chowk, and Sarina Chowk.

ISLAMABAD, PUNJAB SECTION 144

In the meantime, in response to PTI and JI plans for statewide rallies, the federal and Punjabi governments enforced Section 144 in Islamabad and Punjab. Section 144 will be in force from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28, per the notification that was released in this regard.

Rallies, sit-ins, protests, and rallies are prohibited from July 26 to July 28, according to a letter from the Home Department. It said that terrorists may find public gatherings to be an easy target and stated that the decision had been made with the threat of terrorism in mind.

In contrast, JI Secretary General Ameerul Azeem claimed in a statement that police had raided the residences of JI officials across the nation.

In an attempt to break up the protest, he said, police had targeted JI leaders and activists. He also alleged that multiple instances of police raids, arrests, and harassment of women had occurred in various towns.

GOVT ADVISED

The government was forewarned by Jamaat Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman earlier on Thursday that it would face consequences if the party was barred from accessing Islamabad for their scheduled demonstration against inflation and an increase in electricity prices.

He stated in a statement that their belief is in peaceful political protest as a means of securing public rights. “We are not afraid of arrests, and the Jamaat-e-Islami cannot be stopped,” he added.

“The historic sit-in on Friday, July 26, will represent 250 million people of Pakistan, and we will sit peacefully at D-Chowk.”

According to the JI, convoys are in route from all around the nation to participate in the sit-in. He encouraged the administration to offer a location for the protest, highlighting that it is their constitutional and democratic right to speak up for the country.

“Any political party that wishes to participate” was invited, and he welcomed them all.

Prior to the sit-in, police raided the residences of JI leaders and officials in many parts of Punjab and Rawalpindi, making multiple arrests.

Ameerul Azim, the central secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, was not able to be arrested during the police raid; instead, Shaukat Mahmood, his driver, was taken into custody.

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The Socioeconomic Registry of Punjab. Real data gathering is essential to effective governance. Maryam

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21 hours ago

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Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab, announced that the province will introduce the “Apna Ghar Scheme,” adding that accurate data collecting is necessary in order to provide social security to the impoverished.

At the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry’s opening event in Lahore, the Maryam announced that the province’s government has started the “Roshan Gharana” project, which aims to provide 4.5 million individuals with solar panels on manageable installment plans.

Maryam Nawaz, who emphasized the necessity of centralized data, stated that data has become increasingly important in recent years since it makes basic amenities more accessible and aids in the classification of the poor.

She stated that several initiatives are being taken by the Punjabi government to assist those with disabilities.

The Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, is dedicated to providing relief to the poor, according to Senior Provincial Minister Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb, who spoke on the occasion.

The government, she noted, is concentrating on health and education services.

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The ECP asks the SC to clarify the ruling in the PTI reserved seat case.

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2 days ago

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Seeking clarity on a court ruling concerning the allotment of particular seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) moved the Supreme Court on Monday.

ECP members reportedly agreed unanimously on the SC’s decision to consult the SC.

Particularly cited under Paragraph 10 of the Supreme Court ruling, the ECP has called attention to vagueness in the ruling. In order to determine which body is in charge of party certificate issuance, the ECP is asking the Supreme Court for advice.

Concerning the validity of PTI’s party structure, the ECP pointed out that the organisation hasn’t held internal elections.

In the lack of distinct party organisation and intra-party elections, there is ambiguity over which certifications hold recognition.

Position of ECP

The absence of intra-party elections, according to ECP sources, prevents Tehreek-e-Insaaf from operating as a legitimate organisation.

A plea for clarification on party certificate authority and recognition has been made to the Supreme Court by the ECP.

Resolving the existing ambiguity and guaranteeing proper electoral processes will depend on the Supreme Court’s clarity on these issues.

Continue reading: ECP orders implementation of SC ruling regarding PTI reserved seats

Previous to this, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reserved seat verdict will be implemented, according to a Friday announcement made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of Pakistan.

On Friday, a meeting of ECP members was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

If the SC ruling is being carried out with any judicial decision becoming a roadblock, ECP has resolved to seek guidance from the judges in the room.

“The Supreme Court will be consulted for additional guidance in the event of any obstacles,” the ECP statement stated.

ECP declines resignation demand and political party criticism.

The chief election commissioner and members have been the target of persistent attack from a political party, which the highest electoral authority has sharply denounced. No political name was mentioned by the ECP.

The ECP called the demand for resignation from the party “absurd” and rejected the political party’s unjustified criticism, which had been made continuously.

Regardless of the pressure, the statement said, ECP would keep up its adherence to the law and the Constitution.

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