PML-N’s Affan files FIR against PTI’s Marwat

Says he was severely beaten in live TV show; Imran’s counsel says complaint belies anchor’s version

PML-N Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Sher Afzal Marwat, one of the counsels of the PTI chairman, for allegedly physically assaulting him during a live television show on September 27.

Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station registered the FIR under Section 352 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). PPC’s Section 352 deals with unprovoked use of assault or criminal force while Section 506 deals with criminal intimidation.

In his complaint also shared on social media, Khan alleged that at Express News talk show Kal Tak, Marwat assaulted him, slapped him thrice and beat him while he was “nearly unconscious on the floor.”
 

پی ٹی آئی وکیل شیر افضل اور ن لیگی سینیٹر افتان اللہ میں ہاتھا پائی#Expressnews #Pakistan #News #AfnanUllah #KalTak #SherAfzal pic.twitter.com/XtMsPr44Pv

— Express News (@ExpressNewsPK) September 28, 2023

“I received medical treatment for my injuries, including swelling and bruise marks on my head,” the complainant said, urging the police to promptly initiate an investigation against this act of violence “against a sitting senator.”

A viral video clip of the incident, widely circulated on social media, captured Marwat launching an attack on Afnan, with the senator responding by pushing the PTI lawyer out of the camera's view.

Supporters from both the PML-N and the PTI camps sought to claim victory for their respective representatives in the skirmish, despite the major portion of the fight remaining obscured in the available video clips.

Both Senator Khan and PTI lawyer Marwat later took to X, formerly Twitter, to present their accounts of the incident. Senator Khan asserted that Sher Afzal Marwat had initiated the attack, but he had responded appropriately.

Also read: When guests engage in a physical altercation

"While I firmly believe in non-violence, I am a dedicated soldier of Nawaz Sharif. The lesson that Marwat received is a critical reminder for all members of PTI, particularly Imran Khan. They won’t be able to show their faces and they would have to wear tinted glasses [to hide scars]," Senator Khan stated in a tweet.

Recounting the incident, the host of the show, Javed Chaudhry, had said in a V-log on his YouTube channel on September 28 that he never anticipated that a verbal exchange between Afnan and Marwat would culminate in an actual physical altercation.

Chaudhry had claimed that after receiving a punch, Afnan had effectively subdued Marwat by bringing the situation under control. The host said he later came to know that the PML-N senator was actually a martial artist—holder of a black-belt.

Marwat, who had contested Chaudhry’s claim on September 28, once again took to X to state that the complaint filed by Dr Adnan Ullah Khan had belied the claims that he, Marwat, was beaten at the show.

“Senator Afnan has completely denied you in his complaint as you all claimed in your various V-logs that the winner was a black-belt.

"However, black-belt claimed in his complaint that he was brutally beaten, suffered injuries and was rendered unconscious. This black-belt narrative has seriously damaged public confidence in your professional integrity. Do you all have something to say about this?,” the PTI chief’s counsel said.

کیا وسیم بادامی، جاوید چوہدری اور منصور علی خان بلیک بیلٹ افنان کے بیانیے پر اپنا موقف واضح کریں گے؟
سینیٹر افنان نے اپنی شکایت میں آپ کو مکمل طور پر جھٹلایا ہے جیسا کہ آپ کے مختلف V-Logs میں آپ سب نے دعویٰ کیا تھا کہ فاتح بلیک بیلٹ تھا۔ تاہم، بلیک بیلٹ نے اپنی شکایت (مشال… pic.twitter.com/smfD0T6kx6

— Sher Afzal Khan Marwat (@sherafzalmarwat) September 29, 2023