An Islamabad district and sessions court has given an additional 48-hour physical remand to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Shahbaz Gill in response to a review request in a sedition case.
On Wednesday, the court reserved its decision after both parties concluded their arguments.
Session judge Justice Zeba Chaudhry had taken up this case following the orders of the Islamabad High Court on the government’s appeal against the dismissal of Gill’s physical remand by the duty magistrate.
During the hearing, Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi told the court that Gill was “repeatedly telling lies” and that a polygraph test should be conducted.
Abbasi also put forth the question that how a judicial magistrate, who had refused the PTI leader’s physical remand, accepted Gill’s statement as “conclusive”.
He urged the court to allow the physical remand of Gill for the purposes of the investigation.
Gill’s lawyer Salman Safdar presented his case and mentioned the names of nine PML-N leaders, including Maryam Nawaz, Ayaz Sadiq, and others for using harsh language against institutions.
Salman claimed that the case against Gill is founded on malicious intent and political victimization.
Gill’s lawyer argued that a person who had been judicially remanded could not be sent on physical remand again.
The PTI lawyer’s team will file a petition to challenge this decision in Islamabad High Court on the same day.
Gill was arrested last Tuesday from Banigala Chowk in Islamabad after making a controversial statement on a private news channel. He was booked on charges of sedition and inciting members of state institutions against the Pakistan Army.
