Connect with us

Pakistan

IHC allows Shahbaz Gill’s lawyers to meet him

Published

on

  • Islamabad High Court adjourns hearing till Monday.
  • IHC seeks detailed report of Gill’s episode.
  • It rejects PTI lawyers’ plea to cancel bail extension order.

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday allowed PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s lawyers to meet him at the facility where he is undergoing medical treatment.

IHC Acting Chief Justice Amir Farooq presided over the case and allowed Gill’s lawyers to meet him after they were prohibited from meeting their client earlier in the morning.

Yesterday, a district and sessions court ordered Gill — who has been behind bars since August 9 — into police custody for a further 48 hours. However, PTI challenged the case in IHC.

Following the order of the remand’s extension, the PTI leader’s condition started to deteriorate and after hours-long drama, he was shifted to the Pakistan Institute Of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital from Adiala Jail.

A four-member medical board also unanimously noted that Gill needs to be monitored further and assessed by cardiologists and pulmonologists.

In its report, the medical board also said that Gill “is a known case of asthma since childhood and has been on inhaled bronchodilators when required, now presented with shortness of breath, body aches, including left shoulder, back, neck, fight gluteal region and left-sided chest pain”.

Today’s hearing

During the proceedings, Inspector-General Islamabad Police Akbar Nasir Khan rejected the allegations that the PTI leader was tortured in police custody.

“What happened when Shahbaz Gill’s medical examination was conducted at PIMS hospital?” Justice Farooq asked. At this, IGP Khan said that the medical reports showed that the PTI leader had difficulty breathing.

Advocate General Islamabad Barrister Jahangir Jadoon, who was present at the IHC hearing to assist the court, also noted that Gill had initially refused to undergo a medical examination.

“There is hue and cry that [Gill] was tortured. So is this all a hype created by the media, or is there any truth to it? We have to find this out,” Justice Farooq said.

Justice Farooq asked whether Gill informed the magistrate at the district and sessions court that he was tortured.

In response, Special Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi told the judge that the PTI leader did no such thing.

“So where is the petitioner now?” Justice Farooq asked.

At this, Gill’s counsel Faisal Chaudhry told the judge that Gill was currently at PIMS where he is unconscious.

Chaudhry chided the special prosecutor and told him that he should not be issuing statements on behalf of the jail administration. 

“I was not allowed to meet him today morning at the PIMS hospital.”

The judge, in response, told Chaudhry that his client’s remand case was being heard only because he was a political personality, otherwise, there are several similar cases which aren’t taken up at the high court.

The judge then asked IG Islamabad what steps will he take next amid the allegations that the PTI leader was tortured.

“We do not trust them,” Gill’s lawyers said about the police officer. At this, Justice Farooq asked them to refrain from saying things at once as it was not a “circus”.

The judge then issued a show-cause notice to Adiala Jail administration taking him into custody later than the ordered time. He also asked IG Islamabad to submit a detailed report regarding the controversy that took place at Adiala Jail over Gill’s custody.

Moving on, Chaudhry demanded the judge allow Gill’s lawyers to meet him, which the judge accepted. Justice Farooq told him that the order would be issued shortly.

The PTI lawyers demanded to suspend the order of the remand, but the IHC judge extended it to Monday and adjourned the hearing to the same date.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Pakistan promises to fully implement the $7 billion loan program at a meeting with the IMF team.

Published

on

By

Pakistan’s progress on the $7 billion loan package was assessed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan during their second day of talks at the Ministry of Finance.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Finance and Revenue Minister, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, the governor of the State Bank, and the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) welcomed the IMF delegation, headed by mission commander Nathan Porter.

The discussion focused on the advancements made thus far in the execution of Pakistan’s $7 billion loan package.

Pakistan’s accomplishments in reaching the majority of the program’s goals for the first quarter of the current fiscal year were reported to the IMF delegation by Finance Minister Aurangzeb. He promised to pursue changes aimed at promoting economic stability and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to finishing the IMF program.

According to sources from the Finance Ministry, the IMF mission would stay in Pakistan until November 15 in order to carry out additional assessments.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) group landed in Pakistan on Monday and began talking about the country’s fiscal performance with representatives of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the team, headed by the chairman of the FBR, provided the IMF with a briefing on tax collection and revenue numbers.

Between July and September, tax income amounted to Rs2,625 billion, which covered 96.6% of the first three months’ objective, according to FBR officials. Nevertheless, a shortfall of Rs190 billion was incurred in fulfilling the entire tax objective during the four-month period from July to October.

In September, FBR raised an extra Rs8 billion, exceeding the Rs1,098 billion objective, the IMF delegation was told.

Officials told the IMF delegation that over 5.2 million people filed income tax returns this year, generating over Rs132 billion in revenue, a 76% increase over the previous year. Additionally, during the first quarter, the FBR collected Rs 10 billion in taxes from shops.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Weather update: Lahore and other Punjabi cities are expected to have rain.

Published

on

By

According to the Met Department, Islamabad and the surrounding areas will get partly overcast weather with a risk of rain.

There will be a brief break from the dry weather in some places due to light rain, a representative said.

Parts of Punjab, however, are probably going to continue to have fog and pollution. Heavy haze and fog are predicted in Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan, while major towns impacted include Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sialkot, Hafizabad, Narowal, and Gujranwala.

Because visibility may be poor in some places, residents and travelers have been warned to exercise caution.

The prognosis also suggests that places like Lahore, Attock, Murree, and Rawalpindi may get overnight rain. Additionally, northern regions including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Peshawar, and Kohat are predicted to see rainfall.

With no notable change anticipated in the upcoming days, Sindh and Balochistan, on the other hand, are likely to continue to see hot and dry weather.

Continue Reading

Latest News

14 are detained by Punjab police in an anti-smog operation.

Published

on

By

14 people were detained and 91 FIRs were lodged in the last 24 hours, according to a Punjab police spokeswoman.

Furthermore, for failing to follow the SOPs, 458 people received fines totaling 8.28 lacs, and 33 more received warnings.

According to the spokeswoman, 359 cases involving smoke-emitting cars and 38 reports of crop residue burning were reported.

In addition, there were 24 other recorded breaches, 27 pertaining to brick kilns, and 3 cases of industrial activity infractions.

There are 2627 cases against the 2161 people who were arrested for violating government SOPs.

21924 people have been fined more than 5 crore 9 lacs, according to the Punjab police.

An increased crackdown has been ordered by the Inspector General of Police (IG) to shield the public from smog.

Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, the governor of Punjab, has also called for the province to declare an emergency due to the deteriorating smog.

According to the governor, air pollution in the majority of the province’s districts has gotten out of hand. “There are a lot of people who are ill and getting admitted to hospitals,” he stated.

According to Sardar Saleem Haider, closing educational institutions, entertainment parks, and colleges couldn’t provide fruitful outcomes. “Traders oppose markets being closed by 8:00 PM.”

He said that majority of Punjab’s districts and Lahore are experiencing an increase in pollution. He suggested declaring a short-term emergency to stop smog.

The governor went on to say, “To control the smog, the institutions must agree.”

Continue Reading

Trending