Police and officials of other agencies on Wednesday raided the house of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in Gujrat. A large police contingent raided the former chief minister’s house in early hours of Wednesday. Dozens of police vehicles and hundreds of officials besieged Elahi’s Kanjahri’s House in Gujrat. Reportedly, police also detained the security guards of the house.

The law personnel sneaked into the house by putting up a ladder but left after searching it as there was no member of the Chaudhry clan in the house. Ch Pervaiz Elahi was in Lahore when the raid conducted. Police and Elite Force vehicles kept patrolling around the house. Taking to his Twitter handle, Ch Pervaiz Elahi wrote: “I condemn the illegal police raid on Zahoor Elahi House Kanjah Gujarat. Employees were harassed in the dark of night. The caretaker government of two months should refrain from these highhanded tactics. We will go to court on these illegal actions of the caretaker government. We have full faith in an independent judiciary.”

Former federal minister Moonis Elahi tweeted: “Last night the police raided our house in Gujarat. No warrant, no case. 25 police vehicles are understandable, but what were 2 black Vigos doing with them? Indian spies were looking for?” Police have not confirmed the incident yet. However, Elahi confirmed the raid saying that his house was raided and his employees were harassed by police.

The former chief minister said that he was not informed about the raid. He vowed to take legal action against it. On Thursday, the PML-Q Central Working Committee removed Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as the party chief. Brother of Shujaat, Ch Wajahat Hussain was given the command of the PML-Q. The meeting also removed Shujaat's close aide, Tariq Bashir Cheema, and selected Kamil Ali Agha as the central secretary-general of the party. 

However, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced its verdict on Tuesday on a plea filed by Shujaat last year against his removal as the party head. Accepting Shujaat’s plea, the ECP declared yesterday that Shujaat would remain as president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid while declaring the PML-Q intra-party elections as illegal.

A five-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, had heard the petition. The electoral watchdog had reserved its decision on August 18 last year after Shujaat approached it when Elahi’s group had decided to remove Shujaat Hussain and General Secretary Tariq Bashir Cheema from the party’s top slots.

On Monday, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment registered a case against the former principal secretary of ex-chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on corruption charges. Former PSCM Muhammad Khan Bhatti was accused of accepting bribe worth millions of rupees during Elahi’s tenure. He was accused of taking bribes of over Rs460 million from officials of the Punjab Highway Department.

SDO Highway Police Rana Muhammad Iqbal had already been arrested on charges of bribery while the ACE has also started the process to arrest Bhatti on corruption charges. It is stated in the FIR that Iqbal had given millions of rupees to accused Bhatti to get posts of his choice. "Several officials from the communications and construction departments were working for Muhammad Khan Bhatti," it added. The FIR further divulged that the role of other officials of the department would also be investigated.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP