4-member board to decide on Gill’s health

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has formed a four-member medical board for PTI leader Shahbaz Gill that would determine the ex-PM’s aide condition and recommend whether or not he should be discharged.

Gill, who has been in the police custody since August 9 after being booked on charges of sedition and incitement against Pakistan Army while speaking on a TV show, is being treated at Pims after suffering from chest infection, body pain and sore throat.

The doctors at PIMS said Gill was being administered antibiotics for his chest infection. They added that the PTI leader's blood pressure, sugar and pulse were recorded at a normal range. The doctors have decided to make him undergo a CT pulmonary angiography to examine his lungs.

They said Gill was currently staying in a single room in the cardiac centre of PIMS and was being provided with facilities of AC, TV, sofa and food as per medical advice.

Head of Medicine Department Associate Professor Shafaat Rasool will head the medical board. The other members are General Surgeon Atif Inaam Shami, Pulmonologist Dr Zia, and Medical ICU’s Assistant Professor Dr Salman.

In another development on Saturday, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry called for the formation of an independent panel to investigate Gill’s torture allegations.

In a tweet, the former information minister suggested the names of PTI’s Shireen Mazari, PPP Senator Mustafa Khokar and PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique to probe into the custodial torture claims.

“In my personal opinion, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Dr Shireen Mazari should form a panel to investigate the torture being inflicted on Shahbaz Gill, and to bring those involved in it to the forefront,” he wrote.

“This way, there would be no accusations of the panel being pro-PTI,” he added.

Also on Saturday, the PTI handed over “evidence” of Gill being allegedly tortured to the Islamabad police.

Several PTI leaders including Fawad, Shireen and Ali Nawaz Awan reached the Police Line Headquarters and handed over the evidence to the authorities.

While speaking to the media, Awan said the party had photographic evidence which was submitted to the police.

Raja Khurram Nawaz said statements had been recorded in this connection and justice would soon be served after the evidence was presented in the Islamabad High Court.

A day earlier, PTI chief Imran Khan had said in a tweet that his chief of staff was being physically and sexually abused in custody. He had vowed that he would leave no stone unturned to bring to justice those who were responsible for mentally and physically torturing his aide.