Police get Gill’s custody for another two days

By Awais Yousafzai

ISLAMABAD: Additional District and Session judge in Islamabad on Wednesday handed over PTI’s Leader Shahbaz Gill to the capital police on physical remand for 48 hours in a sedition case.

Additional District and Session Judge Zeba Chaudhry heard the review petition of the prosecution following the directives of Islamabad High Court (IHC). At the outset of hearing, Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi pleaded that the judicial magistrate had granted only two-day physical remand of the accused after his arrest whereas the prosecution required his custody for further investigation into the matter.

He said that the accused had been lying with the investigators, adding that there was a need to conduct a polygraph test. He said that the duty magistrate had ignored various aspects in rejecting the request of further physical remand. The prosecution had received further details from Pemra regarding the interview of the accused.

Rizwan Abbasi said that the accused had admitted before the police that his one mobile phone was with his driver. The investigation officer, he said, had clearly written that the prosecution needed to probe various aspects besides recovering the devices.

It had to be find out that whether the accused had given this statement on advice of someone else or not, he said, adding that who had given approval of the script. He further pleaded that police had not considered Gill’s statement as true then why the judicial magistrate had accepted it as final. The prosecutor said that in ordinary cases the police were given normally eight days physical remand of any accused but this case was pertaining to a criminal conspiracy. He read out the judgment of IHC and said that it was necessary for the investigation officer to be satisfied with the investigation findings. The police had found new developments in every day of remand. He said that the police were requesting further physical remand of the accused so this should be granted. No one could refuse that the accused arrived on TV channel by himself and gave controversial statement. There was no solid reason before the judicial magistrate to dismiss the request of physical remand, he added.

Concluding his argument, Rizwan Abbasi Advocate contended that the order of the judicial magistrate dated August 12, was unconstitutional and prayed the court to grant the police further physical remand of Shahbaz Gill.

Gill’s Lawyer Suleman Safdar said that some aspects in the remand were kept secret, adding that it was necessary to know the reason that why the police required further remand. He further contended that the case record was not provided so far.

Meanwhile, Shahbaz Gill challenged his further two-day physical remand in police custody in sedition case in Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday and pleaded to declare this order null and void. Shahbaz Gill, through his lawyers, submitted an application in IHC in which he made Additional Session Judge, IG, SSP Islamabad, SHO Khosar and respondent as party in the case.