ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday issued notices to the investigating officer (IO) and the prosecutor on the post-arrest bail application of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and party chairman Imran Khan’s chief of staff, Dr Shahbaz Gill who was sent by the same court to jail.

Gill was arrested by the police on August 9 at Bani Gala Chowk on charges of “sedition” and “inciting the public against the state institutions”.

Gill’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry filed a petition before Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Adnan Khan seeking post-arrest bail of his client.

The court issued notices to IO and prosecutor and sought their comments on Gill’s application on August 15.

According to the petition filed by Gill’s counsel, the incumbent coalition government had filed false cases to “settle scores” with the PTI, and that their “false FIR” was filed to achieve political objectives. The petition requested the dismissal of the order of the judicial magistrate and asked for approval for Gill’s physical remand.

It stated that the court should declare that the order given in Gill’s case was “not a judicial order but an administrative order”. The petition further maintained that during the investigation, the police could not prove any allegations against Shahbaz Gill.

Chaudhry requested the court that the PTI leader be granted post-arrest bail.

Gill was presented before the court after expiry of his two-day physical remand. A large number of the PTI members gathered outside the court and raised slogans in his favour.

Before the hearing began, his handcuffs were removed and he was allowed to meet his legal team. Judicial Magistrate Shabbir, after hearing the arguments of the prosecutor and the accused’s lawyers, decided to reject the request for further physical remand.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022