SAHIWAL: Sahiwal Teaching Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Yadullah has formed a five-member medical board to examine the 18 minor boys recovered from an unregistered orphanage at Chichawatni on September 23, who were allegedly suffering physical abuse at the hands of their caretakers.

As per official sources, the medical examination of the children, 17 of them belonging to different districts of Balochistan, will be conducted in the conference room of the hospital on September 29.

The medical board constituted by the hospital MS is headed by AMS Dr Muhammad Naeem Atta, while Dr Muntazir Mehdi, Dr Ahmed Asgher, Dr Lugman and Dr Asima will be the members.

In a related development, Chichawatni Additional Sessions Judge-I Rana Tariq on Friday granted interim bail to three organisers of Ahmed Welfare Foundation, the NGO running theunregistered orphanage from where the 18 minors were recovered in a raid conducted by a team of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB).

The NGO`s counsel Rana Sajid says the judge gave October 4 as the next date of hearing.

The three organizers of the unregistered NGO -Saram Dastigir, Saqib Qayyum, and Ahmed Saleemwere booked by Chichawatni city police late on Thursday under sections 34 and 20-A of the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Children Act2004 on the complaint of CPWB Child Protection Officer Muhammad Tahir.

The FIR says that on October 23, a video went viral on social media showing physical abuse and torture of a 10-year-old child, Muhammad Shahzad, by his teacher, Bashir Ahmed at Ahmed Welfare Foundation, an orphanage at Chichawatni.

It says a CPWB team searched the premises and found 18 minor children there, of whom 17 belonged to Balochistan, whileanother to Chichawatni. It says the NGO is working without any registration or NOC from any government department.

Meanwhile, CPWB Chairperson Ms Sarah Ahmed told Dawn on the phone that the bureau will take strict action against all unregistered organisations found to have custody of children without lawful authorisation.

`WE are also raising public awareness and urging citizens to inform the bureau through our helpline 1121 about any shelter home operating in their localities without registration,` sheadded.

She says that, interestingly, two different guys claiming to be private secretaries to the Balochistan chief minister, on the phone, contacted the CPWB Sahiwal district office, claiming that they had data of the 17 minors` families, but they did not contact the Punjab CM office.

Ms Ahmed categorically stated no child would be handed over to any Balochistan government officials or any family member without court permission.