Govt, allies want PTI chief penalised for ‘hurling threats'

Claim Imran threatened female judge by name

ISLAMABAD:

The coalition parties of the incumbent government have urged the superior judiciary to take immediate notice of former prime minister Imran Khan's threat to a female magistrate during his speech delivered during a rally of the PTI at F-9 Park.

“Take legal action against Imran Khan and his colleagues for interfering in the affairs of the interior minister and threatening the officers and government staff who are performing their duties according to the law,” according to a joint statement issued on Saturday.

It added that Imran Khan should be bound by the Constitution and law.

The joint statement strongly condemned the speech delivered by Imran on Saturday night in which a female magistrate was named and threatened, while an attempt was made to intimidate the Islamabad IG and DIG.

“These threats are blatant bullying and lawlessness. Imran is the chairman of a traitorous foreign-aided party and a recipient of foreign funding, who has plotted a coup in Pakistan Army.”

Meanwhile, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the graphic video shared by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership was "fake", a day after former prime minister Imran Khan levelled allegations that party leader Shahbaz Gill was subjected to “sexual abuse” and “physical torture”.

Currently, Gill is undergoing treatment at PIMS. The Islamabad police had taken him into custody last week over charges of inciting mutiny in the military during an interview with a local news TV channel.

Addressing a news conference, Marriyum said: "It is a ploy to raise false narratives in a bid to distract everyone from Shahbaz Gill's controversial statement."

She also shared a recent video purportedly showing Gill standing up and looking healthy despite claims made by Imran and other PTI leaders that he was tortured and sexually abused.

"Shahbaz Gill has not been tortured and only fake propaganda is being spread in this regard. When he (Gill) comes in front of the camera, he starts acting," she said.

Read: Imran challenges rejection of nomination papers for Faisalabad by-poll

Marriyum said that a video of a rapist in Chakwal, who was tortured by the locals after he sexually assaulted a child, was being attributed to Gill.

"They are only playing one half of the video and saying that it is Shahbaz Gill's video and he has been subjected to sexual violence. Playing fake videos and pictures falls under cybercrime. Efforts are being made to connect this propaganda with freedom of speech," she added.

The information minister said that an inquiry was being conducted on the court's order and the interior minister will soon present all evidence in front of the media.

She lashed out at the misbehaviour on social media on the pretext of the alleged fake video of Gill.

"This narrative was initiated by Imran Khan and his aim is to change the story entirely. He wants to change the scenario after he was bashed for a dirty and vile campaign against the martyrs of the Lasbela helicopter crash," she added.

The minister said that Gill used the platform of a private TV channel and gave scripted beeper at the request of Imran. "Their aim is to change the story of what Gill has done on the orders of his party chief," she added.

Marriyum said that the PTI's “entire propaganda machine” was being used to spread fake news. "The fact is Gill gave a call for mutiny... he breached the red lines laid down in the Constitution," she added.

She said a case was lodged against the PTI leader and he was arrested for his controversial remarks. “An investigation is under way.”

Marriyum further said that the government was against torture but fake propaganda would not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, the PTI leaders provided “evidence” of the torture on Gill to the Islamabad police. The evidence was handed over to the capital police by the PTI leaders, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Ali Nawaz Awan and others.

The Islamabad police termed the reports of torture against the PTI leader as false, saying that if anyone had any proof, “step forward”.

The police said that an investigation was being conducted on the court’s order to determine whether the reports of violence were true. "The police department works to restore law and order and action will be taken against those who defame the police as an institution," it warned.

Meanwhile, the information minister challenged Imran to tell the names of agencies which gave him the report about Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party.

In a tweet, she asked Imran to also give the names of the persons who gave him the report about the PML-N and the PPP.

She also posed a question as to who had given Imran guarantee about Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

Castigating Imran, she said that instead of staging political dramas and levelling baseless accusations against his opponents, he should disclose the names on whose behest he kept making false accusations against the political adversaries.

Instead of taking out a protest rally, Imran should disclose why he used Gill for issuing a statement to incite rebellion within the institutions, she maintained.