— Sana accuses Gill of treason
ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Gill, the chief of staff to former prime minister Imran Khan, was remanded in custody after appearing at a court in Islamabad on Wednesday, a day after being arrested for purportedly attempting to incite soldiers to revolt against the top military leadership.
Duty Magistrate Umar Bashir directed Kohsar police to produce Gill again on Friday, while the investigating officer was told to get him medically examined.
Gill’s arrest was quickly condemned by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Khan, who took to Twitter to denounce it.
“This is an abduction, not an arrest. Can such shameful acts take place in any democracy? Political workers (are) treated as enemies. And all to make us accept (a) foreign-backed government of crooks,” he tweeted.
This is an abduction not an arrest. Can such shameful acts take place in any democracy? Political workers treated as enemies. And all to make us accept a foreign backed government of crooks. pic.twitter.com/3NYS1BCjtf
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 9, 2022
The charges against Gill carry up to a death sentence if he is found guilty.
His arrest came a day after he appeared on the ARY News channel and spoke at length about the current political situation. In it, he urged troops up to the brigadier level not to accept any illegal order from the top military leadership.
It was unclear what prompted him to make such a comment, which stunned the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan in April. Khan’s government was ousted through a no-confidence vote.
Gill in his remarks Monday implied that soldiers up to brigadier-level officers are Khan supporters and only some generals oppose Khan and his party. His comment came as PTI and the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition trade blame for an alleged online smear effort against military leaders.
The online campaign was triggered by a helicopter crashing during flood relief operations last week.
Seperately, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended ARY News operations for broadcasting Gill’s remarks.
The media regulatory authority in a notice to ARY News sought an explanation from it for broadcasting “hateful, seditious and malicious content.” ARY News is widely known to be a supporter of Khan and a critic of the military, as well as Prime Minister Sharif’s government, since Khan’s government was ousted.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said Gill was arrested on treason charges because he attempted to incite people and troops against state institutions, a reference to the armed forces.
Sanaullah accused Khan of trying to create a division within the military since his ouster as premier.
Khan in recent speeches at rallies has repeatedly blamed the army for allegedly taking part in an alleged US plot aimed at ousting him. Washington and the army have denied the charge.
— With AP
