LHC refuses to halt police action against Elahi

— Gujrat residence raided as police continue attempts to arrest defiant PTI president

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Tuesday denied the request of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to prevent the police from arresting him in an investigation in which he is on bail until May 6.

The request was made during the hearing of his son Rasikh Elahi’s plea, filed against the unsuccessful raid to arrest the president of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party at their house that commenced around midnight and concluded at 6:00 am on Saturday.

TV footage showed the officials used an armoured vehicle to forcefully enter the sprawling property in the upscale Gulberg neighbourhood of the provincial capital and arrest 12 people, mainly Elahi’s employees, while female police officers took some women into custody.

Videos posted on the internet revealed that the raiding team resorted to physical force, with riot police officers beating the domestic help using batons.

Shortly before the hearing on Tuesday, the caretaker government of chief minister Mohsin Naqvi conducted yet another raid at the Gujrat resident of Elahi, according to his other son Moonis Elahi.

“Punjab police again at Kunjah House in Gujrat to conduct another raid. I have told them to give them access although they […] don’t have a search warrant,” he said in a tweet issued in the small hours of the day.

During the hearing, the lawyer for Rasikh informed the judge that raids were being conducted daily on orders from the anti-corruption bureau of Punjab and the police.

Another raid was conducted at Elahi’s home in Gujrat the previous night, he told the court.

Following the proceedings, the court ordered the inspector general of Punjab police, Usman Anwar, and the director general of the anti-corruption bureau, Sohail Zafar Chattha, to provide details of cases registered against the former chief minister and a report regarding the raid.

The judge then adjourned the hearing until May 8.

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