Mystery surrounds raid at Pervaiz Elahi’s house

LAHORE: The mystery surrounding the raid at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President and former Punjab chief minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s house deepened further after the federal government distanced itself from the operation, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Sources told ARY News that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ata Tarar gave orders to Director-General (DG) Anti-Corruption Sohail Zafar and Regional Director Waqas Hassan.

Sources claimed that the two leaders were in touch with the officers during the raid at PTI president’s residence at Lahore’s Zahoor Elahi road.

Meanwhile, sources claimed that Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has also distanced itself from the raid. During the raid, a member of Chaudhry family contacted Mohsin Naqvi, upon which it was found out that the Punjab CM had left for Saudi Arabia.

The relative also contacted Punjab Inspector-General (IG) of police Dr Usman Anwar and was told that the officer was currently in Medina.

On the other hand, Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain – son of Chaudhry Shujaat, ally of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – claimed that the law enforcers broker into his father’s house on statements of Elahi’s sister-in-law and aunt.

Earlier in the day, the federal government distanced itself from the raid on Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s house, wherein 27 individuals including servants were arrested.

The resolve was expressed during a telephonic conversation between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and PTI senior vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Ishaq Dar noted that the federal government has ‘nothing to do’ with raid on Elahi’s house. “The raid was carried out by caretaker Punjab government,” he said, assuring that he will apprise the government of PTI’s reservations over the raid.

A day earlier, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) team along with a heavy contingent of Punjab Police raided former Punjab Chief Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s house, located at Zahoor Elahi Road in Lahore.

At least 25 individuals, including servants working in the household of the former Punjab chief minister, were arrested by the police during the raid.

The eight-hour-long police action came to a halt after the Director General of Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Sohail Zafar Chattha, left the scene along with the police contingent.

The ACE team along with police contingents led by the superintendent police (SP) Model Town raided Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s house in Lahore. A large number of senior lawyers were present at the PTI president’s house at the time of the raid.

The police entered the house after jumping from the wall and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) of police broke the main gate of the residence.