The student who topped the Intermediate pre-medical examination from Gujranwala Board of Education on Saturday refused to accept gold medal from Punjab Education Minister Shujaaur Rehman because “he and his family had been tortured and kept in police custody on flimsy grounds”. According to details, the provincial education minister was the chief guest at the award ceremony for toppers on Saturday. When Asad Mahmood was invited to receive his medal, he politely refused to accept it, saying the medal was of no benefit to him if he cannot get justice. On query, Asad told the minister and the media that his father, a professor, was implicated in a fake case registered against him on the instruction of Motorways Inspector General Zafar Abbas. Weeping, Asad gave the details of the ordeal, saying that he and his family members had been kept in police lock up for ten days during which they were tortured and humiliated. He said he needed justice, and not a medal. The minister assured the student that a transparent inquiry into the entire episode would be conducted and action taken against those found responsible. He said that not all issues come to the notice of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. After getting assurance by the minister that justice would be done, Asad received the medal.
