Pak court directs police to submit record in PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s sedition case

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 26 (ANI): An Islamabad court on Friday directed the capital police to submit the record in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill’s sedition case by tomorrow warning that if the documents were not produced, it would “become a problem” for the police officers.
The PTI leader, who has been arrested on charges of sedition and inciting mutiny in the army, filed a bail petition on Thursday stating that the case against him was registered on a political basis and his remarks were distorted and taken in the wrong context, the Dawn reported.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Supra today heard Gill’s post-arrest bail plea, while Faisal Chaudhry and Hafeezullah represented the PTI leader.
Judge Supra asked about the investigation officer and asked whether the officer did not get the court notice for appearing. Judge asked the police why they failed to produce their record.
The police officer present at the hearing told the judge that an investigation officer has gone to Karachi “to arrest another suspect” and had taken the record with him.
The judge said he was giving the police till 10 am and by that time, either the records should be presented to him or the investigation officer.
The judge warned if the record was not produced then a senior superintendent of police and Islamabad inspector general would be summoned.
Gill’s counsels said they were ready to offer an airline ticket to the investigation officer, the Dawn reported.
The official sought two days from the court, saying the record would be produced by Monday.
The judge directed him to furnish the case record before the court on Saturday, while also seeking the appearance of the investigation officer.
Gill, on Thursday, said, “I’m a professor and teaching students at various universities abroad,” adding that he is fixed in the case on the basis of ‘dishonesty’.
He pleaded with the court to grant him bail in the case, reported ARY News.
Earlier on Wednesday, a district and sessions court in Islamabad rejected a request by the capital police for yet another extension of seven days in the physical remand of PTI leader Gill.
The judgment came as the two-day physical remand of the PTI leader which was approved by the court last Wednesday expired, much later than the scheduled date as the court concluded at previous hearings that the remand began late and as such remained incomplete, the Dawn reported.
At the outset of the hearing, Shahbaz Gill was presented before the court amid tight security after the end of his two-day physical remand. The judgment was issued by Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman, who sent Gill on judicial remand.
Gill was arrested on charges of colluding with a private Pakistani TV news channel in carrying out propaganda against the state. Police said that he was arrested for making statements against the state institutions and inciting the people to rebel.
The police arrested him on August 9 after he made controversial remarks against the Pakistan army on television that were deemed as “highly hateful and seditious” by the country’s media authority.
He was charged under Sections 34 (common intention), 109 (abetment), 120 (concealing design to commit offense punishable with imprisonment), 121 (waging war against state), 124-A (sedition), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempt to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty), 153 (provoking to cause riot), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Later, Section 201 of the PPC — causing disappearance of evidence of an offense or giving false information to screen offender — was added to the FIR. (ANI)