Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the investigation officer to furnish record in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill’s alleged torture case. A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the PTI leader’s appeal against the physical remand. During the proceedings, Justice Mazahar remarked that Gill should approach the relevant forum regarding the torture. The judge further asked that who had stopped Gill from filing his petition in the appropriate forum. Justice Mandokhail inquired whether there were any cases about police torture which came into limelight during the PTI government. Gill’s counsel Salman Safdar replied that incidents of police violence had rarely come to light during the former government’s tenure. He claimed that the “most controversial remand in the country’s history” was granted to police in his client’s case. Justice Mazahar said that a district and sessions judge, in his detailed order, had clearly mentioned that there were torture marks on Gill’s body, and asked whether the judge of a trial court would also appear as a witness in the case. He reprimanded Gill’s lawyer why the accused was produced before the magistrate after 14 days. A magistrate was a guarantor of prisoners’ rights, while the lawyer was oblivious of it, he added. Justice Mazahar asked whether the Criminal Code applied to the apex court. Salman Safdar replied in affirmative, however, Justice Mazahar negated the stance, saying the Code did not apply to the Supreme Court. The case was adjourned an indefinite period.