Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar said on Tuesday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill was not tortured during police custody, Aaj News reported.

Speaking to the media after meeting with Gill in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Hashim Dogar said that he examined PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s chief of staff and was convinced he was not tortured.

“You can ask Gill about the torture yourself when he is released from the jail,” Dogar said in response to a question.

“I will share the details of my meeting with Gill in a meeting with Chairman Imran Khan,” he added.

PTI stands behind Gill, says Fawad

When asked if he backed Gill’s controversial statement that landed him in jail, the provincial minister said “absolutely not.”

Dogar’s statement comes days after Imran Khan and his party leaders claimed that Gill was tortured during the physical remand and that his medical report presented before the magistrate was fake.

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

A case was registered against him 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.

Addressing a press conference later in the day, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Gill was arrested on charges of sedition and inciting the public against state institutions.

“First of all, a smear campaign was launched against the martyrs of the Lasbela incident,” he said. “Then a narrative was created against institutions of Pakistan and Shahbaz Gill and Fawad Chaudhry were tasked to spread it through a TV channel.”

He highlighted that the two party members called upon specific ranks of institutions and urged them to violate orders and trigger infighting.