Islamabad
\nPTI chief Imran Khan on Friday announced rallies in support of his detained chief of staff Shahbaz Gill, who he alleged was the victim of \u201cgruesome\u201d torture that included sexual abuse.
\n\u201cIf a political worker [like Shahbaz Gill] can be subjected to such torture, it could happen to anyone,\u201d the ex-premier said in a brief conversation with reporters outside Islamabad\u2019s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
\nThe former premier went there to inquire after the detained Gill\u2019s health but was unable to do so as the police reportedly stopped him.
\nGill was arrested on August 9 in connection with an FIR registered against him for allegedly inciting mutiny among the armed forces. Footage broadcast on television earlier today showed he was brought to court this morning in a wheelchair where he appeared to be audibly wheezing and was begging officials to give him his mask.
\nThe Islamabad district and sessions court directed capital police to shift Gill to the Pims again for another medical examination.
\nAs plans of the former premier\u2019s visit to Pims were announced by Babar Awan earlier today, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police put out a statement on Twitter that the suspect [Gill] was not on physical remand, hence no one was allowed to meet him.
\nThe police also cautioned against disrupting the law and order, warning it would take action.
\nWhen Imran reached the hospital to meet him, he was barred from entering the premises.
\nOfficials privy to the development told Dawn.com on condition of anonymity that PTI\u2019s legal counsel Faisal Chaudhry spoke to the police team who asked the party representative to seek permission from a court to meet Gill.
\nAfter failing to meet Gill, the PTI chief stopped to speak briefly with reporters. Clad in black, he announced that he was taking out a rally in Islamabad on Saturday evening in support of the incarcerated party leader and urged people to turn out in large numbers.
\nImran said the rally will also be organised at all divisional headquarters of the party across the country.
\nA couple of hours before his attempt to meet the party leader, Imran also tweeted condemnation over the \u201cgruesome torture\u201d allegedly inflicted on Gill during custody.
\nHe tweeted that all the pictures and videos clearly showed that Gill was tortured \u201cmentally and physically including sexual abuse\u201d.
\nHe said the Islamabad police had denied inflicting any torture and raised a question: \u201cWho tortured Gill? There is a general perception in the public at large and in our minds too as to who could have carried out the gruesome torture.\u201d
\nThe former premier warned: \u201cRemember the public will react. We will leave no stone unturned to find out those responsible and bring them to justice.\u201d
\nGovt responds
\nSpeaking to Geo News, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran lacked the court\u2019s permission when he came to meet Gill at Pims.
\n\u201cThis is all being done to distract from what Gill has said,\u201d she said.
\nAurangzeb said the PTI leader was now facing an investigation. \u201cYou can take out a rally but the rules cannot be flouted for you.\u201d
\nTo a question about Imran\u2019s claims of sexual assault on Gill, the minister said a medical board was formed that declared the PTI leader fit. \u201cAre these 13 doctors telling lies? Why didn\u2019t medical reports reveal any signs of torture?\u201d she asked.
\nShe said Imran should furnish proof of his claims, which she said, had no veracity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad PTI chief Imran Khan on Friday announced rallies in support of his detained chief of staff Shahbaz Gill, who he alleged was the victim of \u201cgruesome\u201d torture that included sexual abuse. \u201cIf a political worker [like Shahbaz Gill] can be subjected to such torture, it could happen to anyone,\u201d the ex-premier said in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[2833,10226,4960,10121],"class_list":{"0":"post-278307","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-imran-khan","9":"tag-political-worker","10":"tag-shehbaz-gill","11":"tag-torture"},"yoast_head":"\n