ISLAMABAD: Muham­mad Shahbaz Shabbir Gill, the Chief Staff Officer of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who is facing sedition allegations, filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday seeking post-arrest bail.

Earlier on Aug 30, a sessions court rejected his bail plea, saying sufficient incriminating material was available on record against the accused.

In the fresh petition, Mr Gill pleaded that the bare reading of FIR made it abundantly clear that no offence had been made out against him since the allegations were “vague, misconstrued and based on incorrect facts and circumstances”.

Islamabad City Magis­tra­te Ghulam Murtaza Chandiyo had registered on Aug 9 an FIR against Mr Gill on the contents aired on Aug 8 on the ARY News in which the accused had been invited as a guest.

Imran’s aide terms allegations against him ‘vague’ and based on ‘incorrect facts’

But the petition pleaded that the true and actual facts of the case had been shrewdly concealed and suppressed by investigating authorities only for victimisation, blackmailing, arm-twisting and political score settling.

It also said the petitioner had been critical and vocal of the incumbent government and its policies.

Therefore, the petitioner said, he had been maliciously involved unjustifiably without any rhyme or reason and booked under technical, intricate, complex offences of mutiny and sedition, having serious ramification.

The petition pleaded that the Aug 8 statement of the petitioner should be seen in totality to get the real context and meaning intended to be conveyed by him.

The petitioner said that a plain reading of the statement made it evident that the petitioner addressed state institutions and the armed forces of the country with utmost respect and reverence and nothing degrading or demeaning had been uttered by him and his statement had been manipulated and fabricated to give it a new meaning and connotation only to rope him in the case.

On Aug 17, he was medically examined by a medical board consisting of four senior doctors and professors of the Pakistan Ins­titute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, and in its report, it was held that the patient required monito­ring and assessment by cardiologist and pulmonologist.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2022