LAHORE: Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar on Saturday rejected allegations by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that the provincial administration was responsible for the murder of party worker Ali Bilal, saying the death was ‘accident case’ and ‘unfortunately misinterpreted’.
The PTI had claimed that party worker Ali Bilal died of police violence and torture after personnel launched a crackdown on party workers and supporters protesting near PTI chief Imran Khan’s Zaman Town residence.
The post-mortem examination of the body revealed that Bilal died due to massive blunt trauma to his body, including a skull fracture and intracranial hemorrhaging, adding that the PTI worker received 26 injuries to his body, including serious injury to the head.
During a presser with Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the IGP said that the evidence “clearly” showed the case was an “accident” and that no person tried to murder the victim and blame it on the police. He added that the prime suspect looked “tense” in the CCTV footage.
Naqvi stated that his administration was not involved in the incident and that the PTI should refrain from levelling “baseless allegations”.
He called out the PTI leadership for blaming the caretaker government for Bilal’s death and stated he would not give in to pressure from ‘curses and tweets’.
Naqvi categorically denied claims of instructing the Punjab police to act against PTI workers and added that the Punjab IGP would personally visit Ali Bilal’s father and the Punjab government would provide financial assistance to the victim’s heirs.
“They [the PTI] did a great injustice to me and the police. This shouldn’t have occurred,” he said and noted that it was a “blind case”, commending the police for its investigative efforts.
The caretaker CM stated that he would have addressed the allegations differently if he was not in the coveted position and that it was his “responsibility to bear such attacks with restrain”, but the PTI’s move to file a first information report with murder charges on the basis of assumptions was “too much”.
“I will not surrender. I would prefer going home but will not give up,” the minister said.
Discussing an audio clip making rounds on social media, he stated that the clip did not need verification as the validity of the clip was questionable.
He objected to the PTI’s decision to hold a rally on the day when the Aurat March and other gatherings were occurring in Lahore.
