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Islamabad court to announce verdict on Shahbaz Gill’s bail plea tomorrow

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  • Additional district and sessions court to announce verdict Tuesday.
  • Judge Zafar Iqbal says he will announce verdict at 11am.
  • Gill is ready to apologise, clear any misunderstanding, lawyer says.

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court said Monday that it will announce the verdict on PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s bail petition tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11am after hearing in-length arguments from both sides.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal heard the case, where the PTI leader’s counsel told the court that his client was ready to apologise and clear any misunderstanding.

Gill is booked in a sedition and arms recovery case and is in jail after he was sent on a judicial remand following back-and-forth hearings and his counsel’s repeated allegations against the Islamabad police.

Gill was arrested on August 9 in Islamabad after a sedition case was filed against him for inciting mutiny within the Pakistan Army. He was already facing sedition charges, but the Islamabad Police — last week — also registered a case against the PTI leader over possession of an illegal weapon.

He was booked in the case after police raided the incarcerated PTI leader’s room in Parliament Lodges late Monday — where they recovered weapons, a satellite phone, and foreign currency.

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 (HRW) has also demanded an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into the alleged torture of Gill in police custody.

Today’s hearing

At the outset of the hearing, the Islamabad Capital City Police presented the case record in court as directed by the judge at the last hearing.

During the hearing, Gill’s lawyer Burhan Moazzam asked if he can see the case records submitted in court by inspector Arshad.

The court directed the inspector to show the record to the lawyer. However, prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi objected that they cannot show the supplementary challan of the case.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing shortly.

As the hearing restarted, Gill’s lawyer maintained that the police didn’t show the statement recorded under Section 161.

“The police is showing all statements except for Gill’s,” the lawyer said.

At this, the court directed the police to show Gill’s initial statement to the defence lawyer.

While giving arguments, Gill’s lawyer contended that the complainant of the case city magistrate levelled allegations of sedition on the PTI leader after extracting different bits from the transcript of his remarks.

“Gill never thought about committing treason. There must be a misunderstanding about Gill’s statement which he is willing to clear,” he said.

“An incorrect tweet was posted after the army aircraft accident and it later went viral. There is no fault of Shahbaz Gill in that,” the lawyer said, adding that the accused PTI leader even demanded punishment over the wrong tweet.

On the strategic media cell, Gill’s lawyer said that the purpose of this cell is to create a rift between the PTI and the army and there is a mastermind behind it — who he wouldn’t name — who provokes creating propaganda against Imran Khan and PTI.

“How could it be possible that Imran Khan or his party is against the martyrs of the Pakistan Army?” he asked.

Making a reference to the Asia Bibi blasphemy case, the lawyer said that a case is not valid if an accused hasn’t incited hate towards the army but the complainant says they have.

He said that the PML-N insists that Gill has committed treason against the army. “How can they give a meaning of their choice to Gill’s remarks?” he asked.

“My client has and is standing by the Army,” he added.

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Bushra Bibi maintains bail as the IHC concludes the FIA’s petition.

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The Islamabad High Court (IHC) conducted a hearing about the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) plea for the revocation of Bushra Bibi’s bail.

The court, led by Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, rejected the FIA’s petition during the hearing.

Judicial Proceedings

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb sought information regarding Bushra Bibi’s location, to which her attorney, Barrister Salman Safdar, affirmed her attendance in court.

The judge urged the counsel to regard the matters with gravity, underscoring the necessity of adherence to trial protocols.

The court sought details about instances where Bushra Bibi had been exempted from attending trial hearings and clarified that if the High Court grants bail and the accused fails to appear, the trial court holds the authority to cancel the bail.

Justice Aurangzeb assured that such actions would not amount to contempt of the High Court’s order.

Based on these considerations, the court closed the proceedings and dismissed the FIA’s plea.

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The Supreme Court has granted the appeal of the PTI founder for a judicial probe into the events of May 9.

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The Supreme Court has officially accepted the plea submitted by the PTI chairman for a judicial probe into the events of May 9 for a comprehensive hearing.

The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court annulled the registrar’s office’s objections to the petition and instructed the office to allocate a case number and arrange the hearing.

The PTI chairman was represented by prominent attorney Hamid Khan, who appeared in court to argue for the petition’s admission.

The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) already convicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in connection with the incidents on May 9 and denied his bail on eight distinct counts.

The court’s finding was delivered in a six-page written order by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul.

The written ruling emphasized substantial evidence against the PTI founder, comprising audio and visual recordings of his directives to incite violence.

The court observed that witnesses had provided testimony on the conspiracy planned by Imran Khan at Zaman Park, where he purportedly strategized for his possible arrest by intending to disrupt state functions via his supporters.

Imran Khan’s legal counsel contended that he was in custody at the time of the incidents, proposing that bail be granted in accordance with precedents where bail was awarded in like circumstances following detention.

Nevertheless, the court rejected this argument, underscoring that the case’s nature was not a trifling issue of conspiracy or incitement.

The prosecution established that Mr. Khan had explicitly incited assaults on military and governmental facilities and had galvanized both his commanders and supporters to adhere to his directives.

The decision additionally cited the Lahore High Court’s finding regarding a prior release granted to Ijaz Chaudhry, highlighting Imran Khan’s involvement in the conspiracy. The court dismissed the defense’s challenge over the prosecution’s lack of specificity concerning the date, time, or location of the purported conspiracy, affirming that the scheme was allegedly devised on May 7 and May 9 at Zaman Park.

The prosecution asserts that undercover police officers, masquerading as PTI supporters, intercepted discussions outlining the scheme.

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188 cases nationwide have been filed against the PTI founder.

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This increase, according to details, followed the submission of a report to the Islamabad High Court in response to a petition brought by Norin, the sister of the PTI founder.

Punjab has the most cases against Imran Khan (99), according to the Ministry of Interior’s report that breaks down the cases by area.

There are 76 cases in Islamabad, according to the Islamabad Police data, compared to two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In addition, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is investigating three instances, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is still investigating seven cases.

Cases against Imran Khan also concern the protests in October, November, and December. In addition, there is an ongoing appeal in the Toshakhana criminal case against his sentencing.

Yesterday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder along with 60 other PTI leaders were indicted in the GHQ attack case.

Imran Khan and sixty other party leaders were charged in the GHQ attack case by Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the anti-terrorism court.

Imran Khan, who is presently detained at Adiala Jail, was released on bail in the Toshakhana case but was arrested again by the police in the New Town PS case.

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