ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday asked the Inspector General (IG) Islamabad to submit a report by February 21 on allegations of police torture by media personality Mohsin Baig.
The high court heard Baig’s wife’s petitions for the terrorism and other charges against him to be dropped.
Sardar Latif Khosa, the petitioner’s lawyer, alleged that the accused was badly tortured while in police custody by 15 individuals in the SHO’s room and had a tough time seeing them.
“Only the accused can initiate the petition to dispose of the cases because he is the affected party,” Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked. The petition cannot be heard because it was not filed by the accused.”
The court then ordered the Inspector General of Islamabad to provide a report on Baig’s alleged torture by Monday, for the police to act in accordance with the law. Legal access to the media personality, according to the chief justice, should not be restricted.
The court gave Baig a reprieve to file the petition at the request of the petitioner’s counsel.
Baig’s wife disputed the terrorism case against him on Thursday.
His wife had filed a petition for the terrorism charge to be dismissed, claiming that the police had filed a fake and unsubstantiated case against Baig in the Margalla police station, and that the court should compel the police to drop the case.
Baig was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday. The agency had filed a complaint against Baig after the latter made unethical remarks against Murad Saeed on a private TV station programme.
The programme was heavily criticised by government officials, and the media regulator issued a show-cause notice to the channel.
