n PTI chief claims Gill faced torture, ‘sexual abuse’ in police custody n Imran not allowed to meet Shehbaz Gill at PIMS n Court directs Islamabad police for second medical checkup.

ISLAMABAD    -   PTI Chairman Imran Khan yesterday nationwide rallies to express solidarity with his chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, after the former premier claimed that his party leader faced mental as well physical torture and “sexual abuse” during police custody.

“I will lead a rally in Islamabad tomorrow [Saturday] and rallies will be held in all divisional headquarters across the country,” Imran announced this while talking to media at the PIMS Hospital to visit Shehbaz Gill, who is hospitalized there on the court orders.It is to be mentioned here that the Islamabad police didn’t allow Imran Khan to meet Shehbaz Gill at the hospital.

Imran claimed that despite the court’s order the police did not allow them to meet with Gill. “Who is giving the police such orders? Do you [police] have any regard for the court order?” he asked.

He also announced a rally in the federal capital today (Saturday) from China Chowk to F-9 Park in support of Gill.

Likewise, he said, the PTI’s divisional headquarters bodies will also stage demonstrations in their respective districts across the country.

It is apprehended that a confrontation like situation may take place after Imran Khan announced to take out a rally in Islamabad for the release of Dr. Shehbaz Gill as Islamabad district administration has already imposed Section 144 of the Cr.Pc. which prohibits all kinds of gatherings of 5 or more persons, processions/rallies and demonstrations at any public place within the Revenue Limits of District Islamabad.

The PTI chief said anyone could suffer what his chief of staff Shahbaz Gill suffered in custody, who, he said, was “tortured both mentally and physically including sexual abuse.

The former prime minister said that party leader Shahbaz Gill was subjected to mental and physical torture as well as sexual abuse after he was arrested by the Islamabad police in a sedition case last week.

“All the pictures & videos show clearly [Shahbaz] Gill was tortured both mentally & physically including sexual abuse - most too gruesome to relate. He was humiliated to break him down,” the former premier wrote on his official Twitter handle while sharing a video of Gill wherein he can be seen pleading for an oxygen mask.

Gill was arrested on August 9 in connection with an FIR registered against him for allegedly inciting mutiny among the Armed Forces. As the plan of the former premier’s visit to PIMS was announced by Babar Awan earlier in the day, the Islamabad Capital Territory police put out a statement on Twitter that the suspects [Gill] was not on physical remand, hence no one was allowed to meet him. The police also cautioned against disrupting the law and order, warning it would take action.

Earlier in the day, PTI central leader Dr Babar Awan while addressing a press conference in Islamabad said that Imran Khan will lead a workers’ rally from Rawalpindi to Islamabad for the release of arrested Shahbaz Gill on Saturday.

Earlier, in the day, Judicial Magistrate Raja Farrukh Khan ordered the investigators of capital city police to conduct second medical of Dr Shehbaz Gill at the PIMS Hospital.

The court also asked the police to shift the accused to PIMS till Monday while suspending his physical remand.

The Islamabad police, led by SSP Investigation Farhat Abbas Kazmi, earlier produced Dr Shehbaz Gill before court on a wheel-chair after expiry of his two days of physical remand.

When the Judicial Magistrate Islamabad Raja Farrukh Khan took up the sedition case, the investigators of Kohsar police station filed an application and requested to grant 8-day physical remand of the accused as police have to recover cell phone from his possession.

The judge, however, rejected the plea and suspended the physical remand orders till Monday.

“Dr Shehbaz Gill is an asthma patient and he needs to be conducted medical tests,” said the judge adding that the court will consider over the extension in physical remand of accused after issuance of medical reports by the doctors of PIMS on Monday.

The judge also raised a question that why had the police brought the accused in an ambulance from hospital to court premises and then on wheel chair to courtroom if he was fit physically.

Special Public Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi, on the other hand, argued before the judge that the health of the accused is not an issue, the investigating officer can conduct emergency medical examination even without a court order. He requested the court to grand physical remand of Gill. The court ordered police to shift Gill to PIMS for carrying out his second medical test and also suspended his two days physical remand till Monday.