The Punjab Police on Saturday registered a case against former Chief Minister of Punjab Parvez Elahi, and others for allegedly attacking its officials with stones, batons, and petrol during a raid on his residence in Lahore.
The raid was conducted by officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and the police to arrest Elahi in a corruption case.
سابق وزیر اعلیٰ پنجاب پرویز الہٰی کے گھر کا دروازہ توڑ کر پولیس اہلکار اندر داخل ہو گئے اور ملازمین کو گرفتار کر لیا گیا۔پولیس اہلکاروں پر شدید پتھراؤ کیا گیا اور انہیں گھر میں داخل ہونے سے روکا گیا۔#TheVerified pic.twitter.com/7Sz47K3CQv
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The raiding team, which used an armoured vehicle to enter the former Punjab chief minister’s Gulberg residence, arrested 12 people, mostly his employees, from the house. Female police officers had also taken some women into custody.
Elahi’s house was thoroughly perused by the police officials who could not find the former chief minister. The police faced resistance when they tried to force their way into the adjoining residence of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
A first information report (FIR) was lodged today at Lahore’s Ghalib Market Police Station invoking Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, and Section 324 (attempted murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 109 (abetment), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 212 (harbouring offender), 427, 434 and 440 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The FIR registered on the complaint of a duty officer who reported that when the police arrived at Elahi’s residence to make the arrest, his employees “locked the house from the inside, while a countless” number of people present inside threatened the raiding team, pelted them with stones, and even doused petrol on them, causing a fire to break out“.
As a result, the complainant claimed, more police contingents were summoned to control the situation and an APC van was used to gain entry into the house.
According to the FIR, Elahi used the rear entrance of the house to escape as his supporters and workers “baton-charged the police party”.
