Imran announces election rally on Sunday, seeks judicial probe into death of PTI worker

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced to lead an election campaign rally in Lahore on Sunday (tomorrow) and urged the Lahore High Court (LHC) to form a commission to investigate the death of a party worker, Aaj News reported.

In his address, Imran accused the Punjab caretaker government of covering up Ali Bilal’s death.

Ali Bilal, also known as Zille Shah, died and several others were injured as the caretaker setup in Punjab attempted to block the previous rally called by PTI chief Imran Khan ahead of elections for the provincial assembly.

Bilal was among the PTI workers arrested during the clashes between PTI workers and Punjab police that took place on March 8.

Imran’s call comes hours after Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar had termed PTI worker Ali Bilal’s death in Lahore a case of road “accident.”

He was responding to allegations leveled at the caretaker provincial administration that the incident was a case of custodial killing.

In his speech, Imran termed the Punjab police as “savages”, saying that he could not believe what they did to the PTI worker.

Imran said he was hurt over Bilal’s death. “No one had ever spoken ill of him but the way he was tortured in custody is shameful,” he said.

Earlier in the day, CM Naqvi said that the Punjab inspector general had visited the victim’s father, denying that the police were given any directions to torture workers of a particular party.

Naqvi said he will not bow before “pressure and dirty propaganda”, adding that he “will prefer going home but will not surrender.”

“We are not barring you from politics but you should refrain from levelling baseless allegations on us,” the CM said, referring to PTI.