Pakistan: Imran Khan appoints Senator Shibli Faraz as chief of staff

In the absence of Shahbaz Gill, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan appointed Senator Shibli Faraz as the acting Chief of Staff on Monday.

Senator Shibli Faraz has been given the responsibility to fill in for Shahbaz gill, who is in police custody over charges of sedition.

Imran Khan issued a notification for his appointment as Chief of Staff with immediate effect as Faraz was given the responsibility in the absence of Shahbaz Gill, ARY News reported.

Earlier in the day, an Islamabad court handed PTI leader Shahbaz Gill to Islamabad police for two-day physical remand after he was shifted from PIMS where he was admitted over health issues. The court after listening to the arguments reserved its verdict and later directed the police to present Gill before the court on August 24.

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), recently constituted a four-member medical board to determine Shahbaz Gill’s health condition and recommend whether or not he should be discharged. This came after the PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary on Saturday called for the formation of an independent panel to investigate Gill’s torture allegations. Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday claimed that Gill was tortured in a CIA cell.

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Gill was arrested by the police on August 9 after he made controversial remarks against the Pakistan army on television that were deemed as “highly hateful and seditious” by the country’s media authority, according to Geo News. The Pakistani publication claimed that the PTI leader had attempted to incite hatred in the Pakistan Army while speaking on ARY News a day prior, which has been restricted in certain parts of the country.

The Information Minister on Saturday castigated PTI chief Imran Khan and party members for spreading “fake propaganda” on media regarding Shahbaz Gill.

Marriyum said that for the last three days “false propaganda” is being spread on social media as “fake” videos of Gill are being spread on all media platforms regarding him being tortured during his imprisonment, reported Geo TV.

The information minister said that an inquiry is being held regarding this matter and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah “will soon present evidence in front of everybody”.

However, she hinted that all “dots of the story connect to Khan”; reiterating that the PTI chief wanted to divert attention from the reality “which is against him”.

• Pakistan