Punjab CM refutes PTI propaganda, says worker died in car accident

Refuting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) claims of its worker’s death due to police torture, interim Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi Saturday said party’s worker Ali Bilal aka Zille Shah died in a car accident.

CM Punjab added that PTI Punjab wing leader Raja Shakeel — the owner of the vehicle in which Bilal’s body was brought to the Services Hospital — informed Yasmeen Rashid that a man has been hit by a vehicle.

“We received information that the man didn’t die due to torture after which the police immediately began working on the matter,” he said during a presser in Lahore detailing the circumstances in which the PTI worker died on Wednesday following a standoff between the party's workers and police.

The chief minister said that Yasmin then went to Zaman Park and told Shakeel not to worry and communicated the entire incident to other party leaders after which she sent Shakeel back from Zaman Park. "The driver of the car also changed his appearance by shaving the beard off," he added.

He added that all the evidence will first be taken to Bilal's family. "His father was also offered money to stand his ground, however, he knew that it wasn't right," he added.

CM Naqvi also said that the Punjab government will financially help the family.

"I am accused of murder, is it that easy to level murder accusations on someone?" he said, adding that the PTI is openly requesting to file an FIR for the murder.

"Don't make false accusations and mislead everyone," he added.

He shared that the elections are set to take place on April 30 in the province and efforts are being made to disrupt the law and order situation. "They should have staged their rally a couple of days after," he added.

CM Naqvi maintained that Section 144 was imposed due to Aurat March.

IG Punjab rubbishes PTI's "social media propaganda"

Flanked by the CM, Inspector General Punjab Dr Usman Anwar also rubbished the party's "social media propaganda" that the worker was killed in police custody.

He added that the police immediately began backtracking the vehicle as soon as they received the information. The IG added that Ali’s blood was found in the vehicle following its recovery through forensics.

He said that the deceased PTI worker’s father Liaquat Ali has appealed for an investigation into his son’s death. “The Punjab Police will share the investigation with [Ali’s] father. We promise to present all the evidence to Zille Shah’s father.”

“Action will be taken if evidence of police torture is found,” the IG assured.

Revealing information about the vehicle involved in the incident, the provincial police chief said: “A video of a black vehicle arriving at the Services Hospital was reported. The vehicle has been recovered with the help of 31 CCTV cameras and GPS from the Waris Shah road.”

The vehicle, according to the police chief, hit the divider at the Fortress Stadium bridge at 6:24pm and put Ali in the vehicle immediately. He added that those who hit the worker had no intention to kill him.

“The vehicle leaves at 6:24pm and try to save his life. They are not criminals and take him to the CMH by 6:31pm, but its gates were closed due to security,” he said.

The Punjab police chief added that the two men — driver Jahanzaib and Umar Fareed, seated with him, are currently under arrest by the police — said they thought it was the army’s hospital and Ali won’t be treated there, so they took him to the Services Hospital at 6:52pm after which they grab a stretcher from an Edhi Ambulance driver and place the PTI worker on it.

“These people have been arrested and will be presented before a court,” he said.

Sharing details regarding Shakeel, Punjab IG said that the PTI member left for Zaman Park with Yasmin Rashid leaving behind the car’s driver Jahanzaib. He also claimed that the video circulating on social media — showing police baton-charging the party’s workers — is old and fake.

Police have found evidence against claims made by PTI with the hard work of its technical team. “The conspiracy has failed,” the police chief said.

He also asserted that all the proof will be presented before the court.

What had happened?

Not long after the PTI's rally to launch its election campaign was called off following clashes between the party's workers and the police, graphic images of Ali's body began circulating on social media.

The PTI worker died on the day the Punjab Home Department had imposed Section 144 in Lahore citing serious security threats for seven days. The clashes between the police and PTI workers occurred as the former attempted to disrupt their gathering at Imran Khan's Zaman Park residence.

Following the PTI worker’s death, “Zille Shah”, “Ali Bilal” and "Black Vigo” began trending on Twitter and other social media platforms, while horrid details of Bilal’s death began surfacing.

A CCTV footage of a private 4X4 vehicle also emerged in which two men — in plain clothes — were seen dropping the slain worker at a hospital in Lahore where he was pronounced dead.

According to the post-mortem report, the victim had 26 marks of torture on his body.

The police, in the wake of the incident, formed an inquiry committee to probe Ali’s death.

Meanwhile, the PTI also filed a request seeking the registration of a first information report (FIR) against caretaker CM Punjab, Minister for Interior Rana Sananullah for Ali's death.

On the other hand, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamiyana and Sub-Inspector Rehan were named in an application submitted by Ali’s father.

Cover-up

Reacting to the presser held by CM Naqvi and IG Punjab, PTI — taking to its Twitter — wrote that the “people in power think that they'll get away with the killing of Zill e Shah”.

The party stated that there will be justice one day.

“What they don't understand is that there is a Super Power above them & He is watching everything and IA Insaf Hoga, aaj nahi tou Kal! They will die an even more painful death,” the party tweeted.

PTI Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that the provincial government has covered up Arshad Sharif’s killing, the assassination attack on Imran Khan, and is now covering up the murder of Zille Shah. “There is neither shame nor modesty,” the politician wrote.

PTI leader Hammad Azhar said that Ali Bilal’s post-mortem and the police’s complaint naming Imran Khan and his associates in the case of the worker’s murder is the “biggest proof” of the interim chief minister’s “lie”.

“This is now an attempt of a third cover-up. Consider Arshad Sharif’s murder, the attack on Imran Khan, and Ali Bilal’s killing — what kind of stories have been concocted?”