The MPA recorded his statement before the investigation team in Khurarianwala police station where he denied the allegations, terming them baseless and a fabrication of actual events. He added that he was being wrongly implicated in a serious crime.
In his statement, Idrees vehemently denied his involvement in attacking the police station, torturing police officials and freeing the accused from police custody.
Speaking about his associate in his statement, the MPA said, “Zulfiqar Ali is a candidate for the chairmanship of Khurarianwala Town Committee and belongs to a respectable family."
“Zulfiqar is a staunch supporter of PML-N, and had enmity with his opponents [over a murder],” he said.
He went on to add that Zulfiqar, Khawar and Iqbal are not proclaimed offenders and are also not wanted [by] the police in any case.
Denying the police claim that Zulfiqar and his accomplices tortured a sub inspector of the Jaranwala police, Idrees said, “I personally identified the accused involved in the [torture of] police sub inspector, and repeatedly asked the Khurarainwala police to register a case against them”.
“The police delayed the registration of the torture case and also set free [the accused involved in the case]. Subsequently, Khurarianwala police implicated Zulfiqar, his gunman and his guest. And in the early hours of July 19, the police forced entry into their house and severely tortured them.”
He added that Zulfiqar, Khawar and Iqbal were also severely and ruthlessly tortured in the police station".
"On the arrest of Zulfiqar, scores of his relatives and supporters thronged the police station. The mob besieged the police station and forcefully entered the building and [freed them]," the MPA said.
Idrees claimed that the pacified mob was going to put [the police station on fire] and [had entered] into a direct clash with the police.
He claimed that SP Jaranwala Division Arif Shehbaz, SP Madina Town Nasir Sial, DSP Khurarianwala and himself pacified the infuriated mob, and succeeded in dispersing them from the scene.
“Those who were arrested by the police [had] great respect in the area and they [were] also [very strong] politically. A large number of people rushed to the police station on hearing [news of their arrest].”
“The mob also blocked the Lahore Faisalabad Road. And in the presence of police senior police officers, I succeeded in making the mob give up their protest,” he added.
"He is a vocal critic of police atrocities which is why he has been dragged into this case,” Idrees added.
“The media has been misled by police as SHO Pervaiz is a relative of his political opponents. He is also misguiding senior police officers,” he added.
“He has been implicated in the case arbitrarily. The SHO is a close relative of his opponents, [with whom him and his family have decades long of enmity with],” Idrees said while talking to the media later.
He also claimed that “the entire drama of implicating him in the fabricated case was framed by SHO Khurarianwala Khalid Pervaiz”.
“SHO Khurarianwala arrested my close associates, who have no criminal history, and they were beaten up mercilessly by police in front of the deras of his opponents to please them, and [to] humiliate me and my associates.”
“I also moved to Khurarianwala police station when I came to know about the incident and the besieging of the police station by the [mob], so as to sympathise the people myself and pacify them over the infuriation due to the arrest of notables of the area.”
He said he has no faith [in] the investigation of the police, who are 'in league' with his opponents. "I urged the Punjab government to assign the investigation to some independent officer to conduct the inquiry of the incident in a transparent manner.”
On the other hand, newly appointed City Police Officer (CPO) Sohail Habib Tajik asked Superintendent Police (SP) Jaranwala Arif Shehbaz to personally supervise the investigation of the case “purely on merit”.
Meanwhile, SHO Khurarianwala Khalid Pervaiz refuted Idrees' allegations."We have CCTV footage in which the MPA was clearly seen beating police personnel, taking the law into his hands, violating the law with impunity and freeing the arrested accused.”
“The footage of the incident has been preserved which would be made a part of the evidence in support of the allegations against him,” he added.
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I don't believe these MPA/MNA's because they act like they are above the law. Look at their style of living & moving around in normal or ordinary people. They assume the are super natural type of thing.
Who could believe Rana Shoaib Idrees when CCTV footage is avilable, that footage should be shown on national media. It is time that these people should be prosecuted according to the law because they think that they are above the law. That is why there is so much lawlessness in Pakistan. Is he banking on Shahbaz Sharif to get hold of the evicence( CCTV) and destroy it. It would not surprise me at all.