The interim Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi Saturday while rubbishing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) claims that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Ali Bilal was killed in police custody, asserted the youth in question died in a car accident.
Mohsin Naqvi, who was speaking alongside Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar at a press conference in Lahore, vowed not to submit to the pressure and defamatory propaganda being spread by the PTI leadership. Ali Bilal, also known as Zille Shah, was a Punjab Police employee who was allegedly killed during a standoff with PTI protesters on Wednesday at Zaman Park, according to the PTI. The Punjab Home Department implemented Section 144 on Wednesday for a seven-day period in Lahore due to serious security threats. Police tried to stop the PTI workers’ gathering, which led to the clashes.
On social media, graphic pictures of the PTI worker’s body that was found in Lahore first appeared. Later, more information about Bilal’s death started to emerge, including CCTV footage showing a private 4X4 dropping Bilal off at a hospital where he was later declared dead. A timeline of the incident, published by the Punjab government, includes information on the PTI employees’ escape from the police van and the arrival of the private vehicle at the hospital.
Sharing details about the incident collected during the probe, CM Naqvi said that Raja Shakeel informed PTI leader Yasmin Rashid that the man was hit by the car.
At this, Yasmin Rashid 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 the beard off,” he added.
He added 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 said that Section 144 was imposed due to Aurat March.
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.
Addressing the presser, Punjab IG said that all these people — who brought Bilal to the hospital in a 4×4 vehicle — have 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 Raja Shakeel,” the IG said.
Shakeel, according to the IG Anwar, left for Zaman Park with Rashid leaving behind the car’s 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 claims made by 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 IG said.
The IG 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 IG 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.”
The head of the provincial police department said that the worker’s body was brought to the Services Hospital at 6:52am.
He added that 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 also asserted that all the proof will be presented before the court.
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?”
