PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was manhandled and re-arrested outside the Adiala Jail a day earlier, told a Rawalpindi court on Thursday that he was “physically and mentally tortured” in prison last night.
The PTI leader said this while recording his statement during a hearing at the Rawalpindi Judicial Complex.
Qureshi was released from Adiala Jail on Wednesday after the Supreme Court had approved his post-arrest bail in the cipher case. However, the PTI leader, who tried to talk to the Punjab police on multiple occasions, was pushed and whisked away from the prison.
It was later found out that the former foreign minister was arrested in connection with a case pertaining to the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 9. He was initially moved to the Cantt police station by the police, who maltreated him.
Today, Qureshi was brought to the court of Duty Magistrate Syed Jahangir Ali in an armoured police van. A video shared by the PTI on social media showed policemen escorting a hand-cuffed Qureshi.
- Meher Bano criticizes the police’s barring of entry to the Judicial Complex and expresses disappointment in their behavior.
- Qureshi claims his arrest turned Pakistan into a “joke” in a neighboring country and questions the treatment of a former foreign minister.
- During the hearing, Qureshi questions his detention under the Maintenance of Public Order, emphasizing he poses no threat to the public.
- Qureshi alleges illegal detention, physical and mental torture, and being denied medical attention while in custody.
- The prosecutor seeks a three-day physical remand for Qureshi, citing reports from FIA and PEMRA.
- Qureshi’s daughter writes to the ECP, seeking a level playing field, claiming her father’s unlawful detention hinders fair elections.
- She expresses disappointment in the ECP’s inaction despite Supreme Court orders and media coverage of Qureshi’s situation.