Rana Sanaullah rejects allegations of torture on Shahbaz Gill in police custody

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah reiterated on Sunday that PTI leader Shahbaz Gill was not tortured in police custody, adding that Imran Khan and his party were making false accusations as no evidence of mistreatment was found in the inquiry, Aaj News reported.

While addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said: “Torture is a clear-cut violation of the dignity of a man. We condemn any kind of torture. The Punjab government is responsible if Shahbaz suffered torture in jail.”

Shahbaz Gill arrested for sedition, inciting public against state institutions: Rana Sanaullah

He said an FIR was lodged against Gill as per law for instigating army officers and soldiers. He said the state cannot tolerate such malicious conspiracies.

Gill was arrested on August 9 by Islamabad Police outside Banigala Chowk for "making statements against state institutions and inciting the people to rebellion."

A case was registered against the PTI leader at the Kohsar Police Station, Islamabad. Besides other charges, clauses relating to inciting people against the state institutions and their heads were added to the FIR.

The interior minister slammed the PTI for apparently orchestrating a drama and said that the coalition government will not let the party succeed in its campaign to divert the people’s attention.

Marriyum Aurangzeb claims PTI’s Shahbaz Gill was not tortured

The minister demanded that if there was any evidence related to Gill's torture, PTI should bring it to light.

“There is no treatment of this drama in hospital or with doctors. Only, I have a treatment for this. I ask you [the Punjab government] to send this man to us. We will conduct inquiries and make him fit in a few days,” he said.

Separately, Sanaullah in a Twitter post said that the accused "Shahbaz Shabbir was arrested and presented for judicial remand, but he did not talk about torture before the judicial magistrate."

"The accused did not say anything about torture when a medical examination was done," he said, reiterating: "As a minister, I say that Shahbaz Shabbir was not tortured during police custody."

The interior minister's statement comes a day after PTI Chairman Imran Khan claimed that his chief of staff was sexually abused while in police custody.

“When I asked the police to tell me what did you do to Shahbaz Gill, they said ‘we did nothing, we got a boot from behind to follow orders,” he told the participants of a public rally on Saturday in Islamabad.

Imran also warned the judiciary against its “biased attitude" towards his party, saying that it should brace itself for the consequences.

Responding to the interior minister’s assertions, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that no one can save the government from the nation’s wrath.

Fawad reiterated his call for the formation of an independent panel to probe the alleged torture of Gill.

ICT responds to Imran Khan's warnings

Meanwhile, the Islamabad Capital Territory Police (ICT) on Sunday responded to warnings issued by Imran Khan saying that "anyone threatening the police or making false accusations will be dealt with according to the law.”

In a Twitter post, the capital police said that it will "continue to perform its duties diligently”.

It said the police had taken an oath “to serve the nation at all times."

“All officers are rendering their services with complete responsibility and continue to discharge them. The police is an organized institution and we are bound to perform our duties come what may,” the ICT said.

Pemra places ban on live speeches of Imran Khan

Following Imran Khan's address at a public rally in Islamabad on Saturday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) banned live speeches of the PTI chairman for "leveling baseless allegations against the institutions so his live speeches are being banned under section 27 of the Pemra ordinance 2002”.

The authority in a notification said that the statements of Imran Khan against the officers and institutions constituted a violation of Article 19 of the constitution.

It said that television channels will be able to run recorded speeches only.