ISLAMABAD, Oct 27: Ayesha Ahad Malik, proclaiming to have a claim on Hamza Shahbaz as her spouse, has appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of her case and provide justice and protection to her.

Speaking at a news conference at National Press Club (NPC) here on Thursday, Ms Malik alleged that she was being pressurized to leave the country.

Ms Malik, who is the daughter of a PML-Q leader, claimed that she was contacted by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, his wife Kalsoom Nawaz and their son-in-law Capt (retd.) Mohammad Safdar and all of them assured that she would get justice.

Ms Malik, whose case has become talk of the town in the country’s political gatherings, alleged that the Defence police in Lahore had registered a ‘false and baseless case’ against her on October 3 on the directives of the Punjab chief minister and his son Hamza Shahbaz, who himself in an MNA.

After registration of the case, she alleged that the police arrested her and her teenaged daughter Mahnoor without any warrant and tortured them. She said it was on the Punjab government’s directives that she was even being charged under terrorism act. She said her only fault was that she wanted Hamza Shahbaz to recognise her as his wife.

Ms Malik was released on bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Oct 7. The court has also ordered the police high-ups to take action against the police personnel involved in torturing Ayesha which was proved from her medical report.

Ayesha’s case is being highlighted by the PPP and the MQM to target the ‘Sharifs’ and some political circles believe that her Thursday’s press conference was a part of the PPP and the PML-Q’s plan to dent the PML-N leadership one day before the opposition-planned rally in Lahore against the federal government.

Punjab Governor Latif Khosa while speaking at a roundtable on abolishing torture in criminal justice system last week in Lahore had criticised the Punjab government for allegedly inflicting torture on Ayesha and said that her complaint against the culprits should be entertained. He stated that the police had refused to entertain Ms Ahad’s application against some ‘top guns’ of the provincial government for their alleged involvement in her torture.

Earlier this month, the National Assembly saw a rumpus in the house when the PML-N and the MQM members clashed with each other when the latter mentioned Ayesha’s case in their speeches to target the PML-N.

The PML-N members, however, are not speaking publicly on the issue as they simply respond to the issue saying ‘the matter is sub judice.’