PTI worker killed in car hit: Punjab govt

LAHORE: Facing strong criticism from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership over the death of a party worker after his arrest by the police, Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi asserted on Saturday that Ali Bilal, alias Zille Shah, died in a car accident.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore along with Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Anwar, he said he would prefer to go home instead of succumbing to pressure from anyone or dirty propaganda being done against him by the PTI leadership.

The PTI had claimed that Punjab Police killed its worker Ali Bilal during Wednesday’s standoff with the PTI protesters at Zaman Park. Horrific images of the body of PTI worker began circulating on the social media. Later, more details of Bilal’s death began to surface, including CCTV footage of a private 4X4 vehicle, which can be seen dropping Bilal at a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Punjab government issued a timeline of the incident, sharing details about the escape of PTI workers from the police van and arrival of the private vehicle at the Services Hospital.

Sharing details about the incident collected during the probe, CM Naqvi said that Raja Shakeel informed PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid that the man was hit by his car. She asked Shakeel, a member of PTI’s Central Punjab Wing, to come with her to Zaman Park and he went with the former health minister, leaving the driver in the car, he added.

He said that Yasmin then went to Zaman Park and told Shakeel not to worry. The CM said that Yasmin told the entire incident to other party leaders and sent Shakeel back from Zaman Park. “The driver of the car also changed his appearance by shaving his beard off,” he added.

To a question, CM Naqvi said that Section 144 was imposed due to Aurat March. He added that all the evidence would first be taken to Bilal’s family. “His father was also offered money to stand his ground; however, he knew that it was not right,” he added.

The caretaker CM said the Punjab government would financially help the family. “I am accused of murder. Is it that easy to level murder accusations against someone?” he asked, adding that the PTI was openly requesting to file an FIR for the murder. “Don’t make false accusations and mislead everyone,” he added. Addressing the presser, the Punjab IGP said that all these people who brought Bilal to the hospital in a 4x4 vehicle had been arrested and would be presented before a court.

“I was informed that the owner of the vehicle, in which the deceased worker was brought to the hospital, is that of Raja Shakeel,” the IGP said.

Shakeel, according to the IGP, left for Zaman Park with Dr Yasmin, leaving behind the car driver Jahanzaib, one of the two people arrested by the police. The video circulating on social media is fake, he claimed.

“Police have found evidence against the claims made by the PTI with the hard work of its technical team. The conspiracy has failed,” the police chief said. “Action will be taken if abuse by police is proven,” the IGP said.

He said that the deceased PTI worker’s father Liaquat Ali had also appealed for an investigation into his son’s death. “Action will be taken if evidence of police torture is found,” the IGP assured.

Sharing details of 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.”

He said the worker’s body was brought to the Services Hospital at 6:52am. There was no conspiracy to kill the PTI worker. “The Punjab Police will share the investigation with [Bilal’s] father. We promise to present all the evidence to Zille Shah’s father.” He asserted that all the proof would be presented before the court. Not long after the PTI’s rally to launch its election campaign was called off following clashes between the party workers and the police, graphic images of Ali’s body began circulating on the 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.

The CCTV footage of a private 4X4 vehicle also emerged in which two men — in plainclothes — 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 the death.

APP adds: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb Saturday said that “foreign agent” Imran Khan was bent upon creating chaos and anarchy in the country. In a tweet, she alleged that “Imran Khan who once talked about dividing the country into four parts now wanted to break it into many pieces under a foreign conspiracy.”

She said Imran Khan had been using the charity money for setting the country on fire. He [Imran] only wanted to “save his skin” even if the country “got burnt” during the process.

Separately, PMLN Punjab spokesperson Azma Bukhari regretted that the PTI was politicking on the tragic death of political worker Zille Shah.

Talking to the media in Faisalabad on Saturday, she said the PTI drama had been exposed after some of the elements giving a specific colour to the incident had been arrested by the police.

She said the video of the dead worker being brought to the Services Hospital was sufficient evidence and the government must investigate Imran Khan, Dr Yasmin Rashid and others for providing justice to the deceased party worker.

Azma said political blunders of Imran Khan had been exposed and people must recognise his true face and his ulterior motives.