Police early on Wednesday raided the Gujrat residence of former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi, with a subsequent statement claiming the aim had been to arrest Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) leader Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain.
According to the Punjab Police, police left the residence shortly after raiding it, as Wajahat was not present during their search. The law enforcement agency said a case had been registered against Wajahat and his son Musa Elahi at Gujrat’s Kaklari Police Station on Jan. 16 over clashes that broke out after the name of the Kotla Arab Ali Khan Civil Hospital was changed.
The statement maintained that both Musa and Wajahat had been named in the case, adding that while Musa had already obtained bail, Wajahat had yet to do so.
Speaking with media after the raid, the former Punjab chief minister alleged police had searched and harassed employees at the residence. “We were not told anything about the raid. We will take legal action against the raid on our house,” he said, while accusing the caretaker government in Punjab and the federal government for instigating it. “This two-month-old government and Mohsin Naqvi should work on holding free and transparent elections instead of indulging in these illegal activities,” he told Geo News.
The Elahi family claims that it is being politically victimized since the Punjab Assembly was dissolved last month. Last week, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment registered a case against Elahi’s former principal secretary, Mohammad Khan Bhatti, for allegedly taking bribes. According to the first information report (FIR) registered, Bhatti is accused of taking over Rs. 460 million in bribes from officials of the provincial highway department.
Similarly, the former Punjab chief minister’s driver and gunman were arrested for allegedly carrying liquor bottles in Islamabad.