Abid Sher Ali viral video: What happened at the restaurant?

LONDON: A series of videos have gone viral on social media showing an altercation between PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali and purportedly a PTI supporter’s family at a restaurant in London, after the latter alleged the former of jumping the queue.

On Tuesday night, three videos started circulating: one showing Abid Sher Ali abusing the man; the other showing the man abusing Abid Sher Ali and the third video carrying a statement by the man’s son who covered his face when making the video.

On Wednesday, Abid Sher Ali released his own video explaining his version of the events. A Turkish restaurant here clarified that Abid Sher Ali did not jump the queue and that he had reserved tables for his family — after videos of Abid Sher Ali exchanging abuses with the Pakistani man went viral on media.

The first set of videos was sent to the media by a person who communicated on behalf of the Pakistani “businessman from East London”. In the video carrying the statement of the man’s son, who was present at the scene and was seen filming, it was claimed Abid Sher Ali jumped the queue with his family bypassing customers.

But the Turkish restaurant said Abid Sher Ali did not jump the queue and had a confirmed reservation for 20:30 on July 20 for 13 people. Abid Sher Ali also released the restaurant reservation details to media confirming the booking.

The person representing the Pakistani man told the media that the businessman was allegedly attacked by Abid Sher Ali while he was passing his table. Then he issued a video to media in which the businessman’s son said his mother and father approached Abid Sher Ali and questioned him for breaking the queue to get the table.

The son said: “My mother told Abid Sher Ali this is the UK, not Pakistan, where you can jump queues like the royals. In the UK everyone is equal. My mother brought up the fact that you are having the meal courtesy the money of Pakistani people. Abid Sher Ali and a woman started abusing my mother and father. The waiter eventually separated us and we had to leave the restaurant.”

In his statement, Abid Sher Ali showed the reservation booking. He claimed: “There was a person in the restaurant who used his wife to attack us. The son also used his mother to create a scene by pushing her forward and filming the scene by giving her a placard and then confronting us. She started abusing me and her husband joined her too. They were from PTI and it’s their tradition to do such things.

“They wanted to viral the video but I responded with the same coin. The restaurant management threw them out. I warn PTI people that this was just a trailer. We reserve the right to respond forcefully.” A spokesman for the PTI said he did not recognise the Pakistani man as active in PTI politics.