GUJRAT: A former provincial minister and exPML-NMPAwasthrashed and kidnapped by armed men allegedly belonging to his rival group, who also shot at and injured his guard, when the former lawmaker was leaving after attending a ceremony at Chak Pindi village in Kunjah police precincts on Monday.

He was later thrown from a moving car on Dinga Road by the attackers during a chase by police.

According to police, former Punjab Assembly member Mian Tariq Mehmood was the chief guest at inaugural ceremony of a cement block factory near Gujrat-Dinga road when armed men allegedly belonging to his rival Ikhlag Ranian group assaulted him.

Nosherwan Akhtar, a former UC chairman and son-in-law of Mr Mehmood told Dawn that the attackers first subjected Mr Mehmood to physical torture and then shot his guard Asif in the leg when he tried to shield him.

He said the assailants then bundled Mehmood in a waiting car and sped away.

Police, on being informed of the incident, gave a chase to the attack-ers who threw the ex-lawmaker from their moving car on Dinga Road, he added.

Police said Mr Mehmood and his injured guard had been shifted to the trauma centre of the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital for treatment where doctors declared both of them stable.

District Police Officer Syed Ali Mohsin told Dawn that the kidnappers also shaved the head of Mr Mehmood.

He said the kidnappers threw the ex-MPA from the moving vehicle and fled away after Kunjah and Dinga police personnel jointly chased them.

He added that the police were conducting raids on the houses and outhouses of Ranian group men who had apparently lef t the area.

The DPO said that authorities concerned at the Silakot, Lahore and Islamabad airports had been alerted so that the suspects could not flee the country.

He said the police were waiting for a formal complaint by the ex-MPA or his family members for registration of a case.

Both Mian Tariq and Ikhlag Ranian had been contesting elections against each other.

Ranian was a candidate of the Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in 2018 poll after he was refused ticket by the PML-Q because of seat adjustment with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Gujrat district.