‘Abduction, torture’ of guard: Imran again urges CJP to protect citizens’ rights

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has again appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial to protect the fundamental rights of citizens.

He was addressing a press conference through a video link on Saturday and was accompanied by PTI’s President for Sialkot Usman Dar and a school watchman, Javed Ali, who was allegedly abducted and tortured by “unknown people”.

The former prime minister reiterated that the dignity of all citizens was a fundamental right protected under Article 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan. However, the current rulers were “openly violating the Constitution”.

“Hence, I request the CJP to take suo motu notice of gross violations of the Constitution,” he added.

While narrating the story of Javed Ali, Imran Khan claimed that he (Javed Ali) was abducted and tortured by “unknown persons”, who also threatened to abduct his wife and make an objectionable video of her if he did not give a statement against Usman Dar. He appealed to the CJP to take suo moto notice of this incident and find the persons behind Ali’s ordeal.

He underscored that the people have pinned their hopes on the CJP and the superior judiciary. He pointed out that everywhere in the world custodial torture was banned, but in Pakistan it was happening in the worst form for blackmailing, threatening and weakening the opponent.

“What happened with PTI leaders Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati was not hidden from anyone. They were tortured and humiliated to weaken the PTI. Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Marryum Nawaz were playing audio clips of judges just to blackmail them. When I reacted over the decision of a judge in Gill’s case, I was served a contempt notice, but nobody bothered to take notice of the custodial torture because those who were involved in this illegal practice considered themselves above the law,” he said.

Commenting on the constitution of new JIT on the Wazirabad attack, Khan pointed out that the government had appointed all those officers in the JIT who had attempted to destroy the forensic evidence. He also castigated Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja for constituting a controversial interim government in Punjab.

On this occasion, Javed Ali said that he was an employee of the Punjab Education Department.

“I was asked to collect my salary from another office and after some time he was abducted by the police in a private vehicle”.

“I was blindfolded, stripped and badly tortured by the police and some unidentified persons. I was forced to give a statement against Usman Dar. When I refused to give a fake statement, they threatened me that they would bring my wife, strip her naked and release her video on social media. They brought my family to a place where I was being tortured; I broke down and give a statement as per their demand,” claimed Javed Ali.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023