LAHORE: The interior ministry has told the Lahore High Court (LHC) that 12 cases have been registered against PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill on multiple charges in different cities of the country.

A report filed on behalf of the interior secretary on Monday revealed that two cases against Gill had been registered in Balochistan and five each in Punjab and Sindh provinces. The cases carried charges of ridiculing the state institutions and extending threats to their heads.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh was hearing a petition of Gill for protective bail and seeking record of the cases lodged against him.

Gill was present in the court along with his counsel.

The judge took notice of the signatures of a section officer on the report submitted on behalf of the secretary interior and rejected it, directing a law officer to submit the report with the signatures of the secretary. The judge also extended the interim protective bail of Gill till Feb 13.

Talking to the reporters, Gill expressed his resolve to stand by PTI chairman Imran Khan in difficult times. He claimed that many leaders in the party were like a ‘snake in the sleeve’. However, Gill refused to name them, saying the party was going through a testing time.

“Let this time pass. I will expose all of them,” he added.

Mr Gill said former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry was like a brother to him and an asset to the party. He said Fawad faced arrest for standing by the truth.

The PTI leader said he came to Pakistan with an ideology to serve the people and worked with the PTI without gaining any financial benefit.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2023