Advisor sexually abused after arrest in Islamabad, says former Pakistan PM

Shahbaz Gill, Imran's advisor and the chief of staff at his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was arrested on August 9 after his comments about the army on popular ARY television channel that were deemed "seditious" by the police.

Imran, in social media comments, said on Friday all the pictures and videos "show clearly Gill was tortured both mentally and physically" and subjected to sexual abuse that was "too gruesome" to describe.

"He was humiliated to break him down. I now have full detailed info. ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory) police says it did not inflict any torture. So my question is: Who tortured Gill?" the former premier asked on Friday.

"There is a general perception in the public at large and in our minds too as to who could have carried out the gruesome torture. Remember the public will react. We will leave no stone unturned to find out those responsible and bring them to justice," Imran warned in a tweet.

When Imran went to see Gill, admitted to Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for treatment after a court appearance on Friday, he was denied entry.

Surrounded by police personnel, Gill was seen in a wheelchair and using an oxygen mask because of breathing difficulties.

"If a political worker (like Gill) can be subjected to such torture, it could happen to anyone," the former prime minister told the media outside the hospital.

The PTI and its supporters are holding nationwide protests on Saturday for Gill's release and in support of ARY and other media outlets.