LAHORE: A case of terrorism was registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi hours after a heavy police raid at his residence to arrest him.
A First Information Report (FIR) filed by an Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) official at Lahore’s Ghalib Market police station said policemen were “attacked with stones, sticks and petrol bombs”.
Anti-corruption and police officials raided PTI president Pervez Elahi’s residence in Lahore on Friday night using an armored vehicle, broke the main gate of the former Punjab chief minister’s Gulberg residence and killed around 20 people, including his Employees and party workers were arrested.
In the FIR filed by ACE official Safdar Hussain, it is stated that the police arrested 19 people on charges of terrorism for resisting during the raid.
“The ACE team raided Parvez’s house to arrest him,” the FIR read.
The FIR – a copy of which is available with JEE News – states that around 40-50 people inside the residence pelted stones and resorted to violence. It was also said that people also threw petrol bombs at the police during which Parvez escaped from his house.
Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 is included in the FIR, while others include:
- Section 324 – Attempt to murder
- Section 353 – Assault or criminal force to prevent public servant from performing his duty
- Section 109 – Encouragement
- Section 147 – Punishment for riot
- Section 148 – Rioting, armed with deadly weapons
- Section 149 – Every member of an illegal assembly guilty of an offense in proceedings against a public objection
- Section 186 – Preventing public servants from performing public functions,
- Section 212 – Harboring offender
- and Sections 427, 436 and 440 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Parvez Elahi’s son’s appeal to Lahore High Court
Meanwhile, Pervez’s son – Rasikh Elahi – filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the “illegal” act.
Rasakh impleaded the Punjab government, ACE and the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab in his petition and requested the court to intervene.
The petition termed the late-night raid as “illegal and a violation of fundamental rights”. It added that the court had granted Elahi bail till May 6 in the anti-corruption case.
The petition also requested the court to “issue an order to clear Zahoor Elahi Road from illegal occupation by the police and direct the respondents to vacate the petitioner’s house and if any action against the petitioner If there is an FIR, it should be filed. This honorable court.”
He further requested the court to ensure the fundamental rights of the petitioner and order to stop the raid/operation and not to arrest Elahi until the bail period expires.
Rashikh also requested the court to “take action against those involved in the illegal raid and who have misused their powers and violated the petitioner’s fundamental rights.”
How did the operation fare?
During the six-hour long raid that ended at 6 am on Saturday, the policemen searched the house thoroughly but could not find any trace of Parvez. They also tried to forcibly enter the adjoining residence of the Muslim League (Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but Shujaat’s sons resisted them.
An armored police vehicle (APC) broke down the main gate of the residence after people inside the house resisted the law enforcers and tried to prevent arrest. The police claimed that they were pelted with stones, injuring policemen and journalists who were covering the incident.
SP Amara Shirazi along with a team of women police officers entered Elahi’s house. Returned from home after a short search.
شاباش پنجاب پولیس. اسی لیے چودھری پرویزالٰہی نے بیوروکریٹس کی مرضی کے خلاف آپ کو مراعات دلوائیں pic.twitter.com/P0j5x5G8wW
— Moonis Elahi (@MoonisElahi6) April 29, 2023
The police and anti-corruption authorities partially blocked his action, claiming that although Elahi was not present at his residence, the location of his mobile phone indicated that he was inside. But after receiving information from the arrested house help that Elahi was inside the residence, they resumed the search operation.
The police arrested several people, including the servants working in the house of the former Punjab Chief Minister and the PTI workers who protested at the scene.
During the operation, the police cordoned off Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi Road outside the residence as well.
The hours-long police operation came to a halt after Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Director General Sohail Zafar Chatta left the scene along with the police force.
The raid came hours after talks between the PTI and the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government on election dates, with the former calling for a halt to the arrests of its workers and warning that if law enforcement If the actions of the concerned institutions are not stopped, the talks may derail. .
