• Shahbaz Gill admits to giving anti-army statement. 
• Gill confessed in his police statement. 
• Gill said he didn’t give the statement in deviation from the party’s policy. 

ISLAMABAD: PTI senior leader and party chairperson Imran Khan’s aide Shahbaz Gill has admitted to giving a statement against the Pakistan Army, which he said was in line with the party’s policy.

Gill made the confession during an interrogation, sources said. “I think I did not give the statement in digression from the party’s policy,” he was reported as saying in a police statement. “I gave the statement after contemplation.”

On August 9, the Islamabad police officers arrested Shahbaz Gill for “inciting the public against state institutions”, according to the spokesman of the Islamabad police.

On August 10, a court in Islamabad granted a two-day physical remand of the PTI leader to the federal capital’s police. The Islamabad police had sought a 14-day remand. Speaking to the media before his court appearance, Gill said that he was not “ashamed” of his statements.

A case under treason laws has been registered against the PTI leader in Kohsar police station with the city magistrate as the complainant. The Kohsar police would produce him in court today [Friday] after the investigation.

Police said the inquiry regarding at whose behest Shahbaz Gill gave the statement is underway.

Police also said that the phone recovered from Gill was a dummy set. His phone was taken away by his driver while he was being arrested, said police.

Tweets are continuously coming from Gill’s personal mobile phone, said police, adding that they are trying to find out who is using the phone with Gill’s Twitter handle.

Sources said that the person tweeting from Shahbaz Gill’s phone is the accomplice of the accused. 

Police arrest wife of Gill’s driver

On August 11, Police took the wife of Shahbaz Gill’s driver in custody after they raided the latter’s residence to recover the PTI leader’s mobile phone for investigation in the sedition case.

According to the Islamabad Police, when they raided the house of Gill’s assistant Izhar, he had already fled away, however, they took his wife and a relative into custody.

A case has been filed against the duo at the Aabpara Police Station for creating hurdles in official work.

Imran calls arrest ‘fascist illegal abductions’

Reacting to the arrests, PTI Chairperson Imran Khan strongly condemned the raid on Izhar’s residence and termed his wife’s arrest “fascist illegal abductions”.

“I want to ask our legal community: are there no fundamental rights anymore?”

The PTI chief said that the “imported government of the cabal of crooks” brought through foreign-backed regime change is using fear and terror in the media and among people to gain acceptance after being routed in the Punjab elections.

“But all they are succeeding in doing is further destabilising the country. The only solution is fair and free elections.”