Punjab Interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has confirmed that PTI worker Ali Bilal, also known as Zille Shah, died in a car accident and not in police custody. The CM made this statement during a press conference in Lahore on Saturday, alongside Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar.
Naqvi further added that all evidence related to the accident will be taken to Bilal’s family. Meanwhile, the IG informed that those who brought Bilal to the hospital have been arrested.
The PTI had earlier accused Punjab Police of killing Bilal during the recent standoff between PTI protestors and police officials at Zaman Park. However, the Punjab government rubbished these claims, stating that Bilal died in a car accident.
The clashes between the police and PTI workers occurred on Wednesday as the police attempted to disrupt the gathering of PTI workers at PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s residence. Horrific images of Bilal’s body in Lahore began circulating on social media, prompting further investigations into his death.
CCTV footage revealed a private 4X4 vehicle dropping Bilal at a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The PTI leadership had been using Bilal’s death to fuel their propaganda against the Punjab government, but the government has maintained that Bilal’s death was not a result of police brutality.
