Daily Times

Islamabad Advocate General Jahangir Jadoon Saturday challenged the decision taken by the local district and sessions court rejecting the plea to extend PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s physical remand in a sedition case, a private TV channel reported. Gill and others were named in the petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The petitioner urged the high court to declare the decision taken by the district and sessions court null and void while extending the physical remand of the PTI leader. In the petition, it is argued that the advocate general made a request to adjourn the case till Monday as the government wanted to appoint an SSP for it. However, the additional sessions judge was “adamant to hear the case and decide then.” It states further that the investigation was incomplete and Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir granted judicial remand and rejected an extension of Gill’s physical remand which has resulted in the prosecution case being subjected to “serious prejudice”. It also requests physical custody of the accused, arguing that the “police has yet to recover the mobile phone of the accused containing necessary information/date to corroborate the contents of FIR as a piece of evidence.”

The personal mobile phone and laptop of the accused were used in the occurrence as the written transcript of Gill’s statement given to a TV channel was sent to him on WhatsApp by someone, it was stated. Moreover, it also seeks to get the names of others allegedly involved in the case by handing over the PTI leader to the investigating officer to probe the case further. It was argued that the judicial magistrate “did not determine the gravity of the offense and rejected the police request for physical custody and sent the nominated accused in FIR to judicial custody without considering the police request of merits.” The petition highlighted that the review appeal was dismissed on the basis of technicalities and that a “case must be decided on merits rather than technicalities.”

Meanwhile, an Islamabad district and sessions court issued notices on Saturday to the investigating officer and prosecutor on the post-arrest bail plea of Shahbaz Gill. Additional Sessions Judge Adnan Khan has issued notices for Monday, August 15, seeking responses from the investigating officer and prosecutor on the plea. 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.