ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan’s federal government, the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, on Sunday distanced himself from the conduct of an overnight police and anti-corruption raid at the residence of former prime minister Imran Khan’s close political aide and party president.
Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who also served as Punjab chief minister before dissolving the provincial assembly on Khan’s instruction earlier this year, could not be arrested by the authorities during the raid that lasted for several hours.
Video clips of police officials entering Elahi’s residence with an armored vehicle were widely shared on social media.
The incident elicited a sharp response from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party which is negotiating with the government to break a political deadlock over the issue of holding general elections.
“No Illegal action will be allowed by anyone,” said the caretaker chief minister in a Twitter post. “I am in [Madinah] and getting all the details. Appalled to know that team went to arrest [Chaudhry] Pervaiz Elahi but stormed [Chaudhry] Shujaat [Hussain]’s House in which [Chaudhry] Salik Hussain got injured. Law should take its course.”
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who briefly served as the country’s prime minister, is Elahi’s close relative and lives right next to his house. However, he and his son, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, decided to support Pakistan’s ruling coalition after developing political differences with Elahi last year.
Earlier, Pakistan’s finance minister Ishaq Dar had said the coalition administration had nothing to do with the raid on Elahi’s residence while speaking to a top PTI leader, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on phone, though he also suggested the PTI president should have cooperated with the state agencies.
The development took place after the government and the opposition PTI held two rounds of talks over national elections. The two sides are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday.
