ISLAMABAD:
A district and sessions court in the federal capital on Friday adjourned the indictment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill in a sedition case of inciting rebellion in state institutions after he was brought to court in an ambulance.
The court postponed the process of indicting Gill till January 20 and issued a bailable arrest warrant for Ammad Yousaf — a private channel news director who was also booked in the case.
During the hearing today, Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi and Gill’s lawyer Burhan Muazzam as well as Yousaf's counsel appeared before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Supra.
Yousaf's counsel said that he has contracted malaria and thus could not appear in court. His lawyer submitted a request seeking an exemption from appearing in court in person along with his medical report.
The judge remarked, “It seems as if you have taken turns," referring to Gill's arrival from Lahore in an ambulance and Yousaf's failure to show up to court.
Meanwhile, the PTI leader’s lawyer said that Gill was present in an ambulance outside the court, adding that he could not move because of the oxygen mask.
Subsequently, the court issued a bailable arrest warrant for Yousaf against a surety bond worth Rs50,000 and postponed the process of indicting Gill, and adjourned the hearing till January 20.
Read Court bars police from arresting Shahbaz Gill
Last month, a bailable arrest warrant was issued for Shahbaz Gill in the case of inciting sedition in state institutions after the court rejected his request for exemption from personal attendance.
The judge expressed annoyance at Gill's failure to appear in court and his plea for exemption from personal attendance, adding that it appeared that the accused did not want the case to proceed further.
Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi told the court that Gill appeared to be non-serious and requested the court to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant for him. However, Gill’s lawyer Shehryar Tariq informed the judge that Gill’s health problems were diagnosed during a check-up while he was on physical remand.
Tariq said that Gill suffered from asthma, adding that he would appear in court on the next hearing upon improvement in his health. Until then, the lawyer requested the court to accept his request for exemption from attendance.
Rejecting the request for exemption, the court issued a bailable arrest warrant for Gill and ordered him to deposit Rs200,000.
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