By Special Correspondent
LAHORE: Lahore Police on Saturday booked former chief minister Punjab Ch. Parvez Elahi and others, claiming that its officials were “attacked with stones, batons and petrol” during a raid on the latter’s house in Lahore to arrest him in a corruption case Friday night.
The raiding team comprising officials from the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and local police had used an armoured vehicle to break open the main gate of the PTI leader’s Gulberg residence and arrested over two dozen people, mostly his employees, from the residence. Female police officers also took some females into custody.
The police officials thoroughly searched the establishment but remained unable to find Elahi. The police also tried to force their entry into the adjoining house of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but they were resisted by Shujaat’s sons.
A first information report (FIR) was lodged on Saturday at Lahore’s Ghalib Market Police Station invoking Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, and Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempted murder), 109 (abetment), 147 (punishment for rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 212 (harbouring offender), 427, 434 and 440 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
According to the FIR registered on the complaint of a duty officer, when the police reached the Elahi’s residence to make the arrest, his employees “locked the house from the inside, while a countless” number of people present inside threatened the raiding party, pelted them with stones, and even doused petrol on them, causing a fire to break out”.
As a result, more police were summoned to control the situation and an APC van was used to secure entry into the house, the complainant claimed. According to the FIR, Elahi used the rear gate of the house to flee as his supporters “baton-charged the police party”.
Meanwhile, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry condemned the raid at Elahi’s house, saying the party will hold a meeting today to decide whether or not to continue the ongoing negotiations with the government regarding the election date. “If the government’s negotiation team cannot play any role in keeping the atmosphere calm even after assurances, then how can it make big decisions?” asked Fawad. “We will take a decision about continuing the negotiation process or not in a meeting today presided by Imran Khan.”
Elahi’s son challenges raid in LHC
Meanwhile, Elahi’s son Rasikh Elahi, challenged the raid at his father’s house in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petition made the Punjab government, ACE DG and Additional DG, Inspector General Police Punjab Dr Usman Anwar and senior superintendent of police, and Model Town SP respondents in the case. Filed by Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn and Afsar Raza Khan, the petition asked the LHC to declare the raid “illegal and violative of the law as well as fundamental rights of the petitioner” and to direct the respondents to stop the same.
The plea also asked the court to direct the Punjab government to “take strict action against public servants who have directly been part of the illegal raid and have misused their powers”, and to stop them from doing so.
It said the police broke “all gates of three houses of Chaudhry Parvez Ellahi, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain house and petitioner Rasikh Ellahi house and entered into the house without any search warrants”.
Late-night drama
The Anti-Corruption Establishment said that its Gujranwala team had arrived at Pervaiz Elahi’s house to arrest him in connection with a corruption case. While Elahi’s legal team said that his pre-arrest bail had already been confirmed from a court until May 6, the ACE team insisted that Elahi was required in a new case.
