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Faisalabad: A fact-finding committee headed by a senior police officer, Abdul Khaliq has visited National Hospital in Lahore to record the statement of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Talal Chaudhry after he was beaten up by woman MNA’s brothers for allegedly harassing her.
The police reached National Hospital in Lahore, where Chaudhry was being treated, to record his statement but find an empty hospital room as Talal Chaudhry already left the hospital in a hurry without paying the bill.
Talking to the media, the ASP Abdul Khaliq said the hospital staff has told police that Chaudhry had been discharged an hour earlier.
The ASP said they will contact him as soon as possible and record his statement. The same day, the police also visited the residence of MNA Ayesha Rajab Ali in Faisalabad to probe harassment allegations levelled against Talal Chaudhry by her.
The four-member fact-finding committee is being headed by People’s Colony police officer Abdul Khaliq while other members include the Station House Officer (SHO) of Madina Town police station where the scene transpired and the SHO Women Police Farah Batool is also the part of it.
Earlier on Saturday, a fracas erupted between the two Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leaders after Talal Chaudhry suffered a badly fractured arm after being beaten up by a woman MNA’s brothers for allegedly harassing her.
Ayesha Rajab had alleged earlier this week that Talal Chaudhry harassed her to which Rajab’s brothers assaulted Chaudhry and broke his arm. The police’s fact-finding committee will now probe the case thoroughly and will take statements from both the conflicting parties that encountered in a brawl.
Moreover, A fact-finding committee was constituted by the senior superintendent of police (operations) of Faisalabad to probe an incident of PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry’s alleged thrashing by unidentified people, it emerged on Sunday.
According to a notification issued by the Faisalabad SSP (operations) dated September 26, the committee comprises four police officials and will be headed by SDPO Peoples Colony Abdul Khaliq. It also includes SHO Madina Town Aftab Waseem, SHO Women police station Farah Batool and TSI Bilal.
The committee has been tasked with “ascertain(ing) the facts regarding the incident that took place between Ms Ayesha Rajab Ali (MNA) and Mr Muhammad Talal Chaudhry (ex-MNA)”. Members of the committee are also directed to record statements of both Chaudhry and Ali and submit a report of their findings along with recommendations of “suitable legal action” within three days. News that former state minister and firebrand PML-N politician Chaudhry had allegedly been beaten on the night of September 23 and was being treated at a hospital in Lahore surfaced on Saturday.
Sources had told media that on September 23 midnight, Chaudhry had called police helpline 15 and reported a robbery in Abdullah Garden, Faisalabad. A few minutes later, PML-N MNA Ali informed police that there were three suspicious men present outside her house in Abdullah Garden in a white car.
They said that on being informed of the incident, the head of the police check post rushed to the spot where Chaudhry was also present. A few ‘notables’ also reached the spot a short while later and told the police that nothing had actually happened and the confusion had arisen out of a misunderstanding. These notables assured the police they would settle the issue amicably. Sources said the unidentified people had thrashed Chaudhry because of which his left shoulder was fractured. Chaudhry’s close associates told media that he would be discharged from the hospital soon as his condition was stable. They tried to dispel the impression that the PML-N leader had been tortured by the family members of MNA Ali.
Meanwhile, a video showing Chaudhry standing outside a house that was said to belong to MNA Ali went viral on social media wherein he could be heard asking policemen to get his mobile phone recovered from the people inside the house. He told police that he was called to the spot in connection with party affairs, and also showed them his arm that he said had been fractured.
When police started to record his statement, he said he would submit one later.
Issuing a statement in Lahore late on Saturday, Chaudhry said that the incident had nothing to do with any woman MNA as being portrayed in the media.
According to SDPO Khaliq, who is heading the committee, its members had gone to Ali’s residence earlier today to record her statement but were told that she, along with her family, had gone to Islamabad. “If we have to go to Islamabad to record a statement, we will go,” he said and added that the committee will also contact Chaudhry to record his statement.
Separately, Chaudhry’s brother Bilal said that the PML-N leader had been shifted to a hospital in Islamabad. Khaliq said that the police “had not negotiated a truce, this is not our job”. The committee will submit a final report after the inquiry is completed.
