SARGODHA: Awami Raj Party MNA Jamshed Ahmed Dasti, who is in police custody for last three weeks, claims that he is being tortured and starved by police in Multan Central Jail.
In his brief media talk during court appearance on Thursday, Dasti accused that he had been severely beaten by police and deprived of food for many days, adding that rats and scorpions were released into his jail cell to ‘torture’ him. Dasti, while speaking to reporters from grilled windows of a prison van, broke down and pleaded for help. He appealed Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of police ‘torture’ on him.
A video of the lawmaker from Muzaffargarh, has also emerged in which talking from a police van, a weeping Dasti seen appealing to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of his plight. He complained that he is being subjected to torture and was deprived of food for six days. He claimed that he has been booked in false cases and being punished for his humble background.
He was arrested on June 08 for forcibly opening the sluice gate at a canal to release irrigation water to Dinga minor. Dasti is facing 27 criminal cases including the one related to forcibly releasing water into the Dinga canal and torturing irrigation officials. The Karamdad Qureshi police had registered a case against him under sections 353, 430, 148, 149 and 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code on an application submitted by the Kot Addu irrigation sub-division officer.
It was alleged in the complaint that the MNA had forcibly released water into the Dinga canal and when irrigation officials informed him that it was closed following court orders he threatened them with dire consequences. Police said that he was responsible for instigating people to open the sluice gate at Kalu headworks channel. Police said Dasti, along with a number of people, had opened the sluice gate at Kalu headworks channel to release water in Dinga minor (Muzaffargarh canal).
The irrigation officials had warned him against opening the gate that had been closed for many months due to litigation, police said. On the other hand, Dasti is of the view that he released water to facilitate farmers who had been complaining for water shortage. His case is being heard in a local antiterrorism court.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan took to twitter to condemn Dasti’s arrest. “Disgusting fascism of Sharifs as they carry forward their political godfather Zia’s dictatorial legacy while feigning sincerity,” he tweeted. “Yet they & their band of sycophants weeping incessantly over Babloo appearing before JIT!,” Imran further said.
Dasti, when presented before the court of Additional Session Judge Sargodha, he told the judge that he was being kept in a cell infested with mice, snakes and scorpions.
