'No Illegal action will be allowed': Punjab caretaker CM says 'appalled' police stormed into Shujaat's house

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday that he was "appalled" to know that the police team went to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president Parvez Elahi but stormed Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's house in which Ch Salik Hussain got injured.

"No Illegal action will be allowed by anyone," he tweeted, adding: "I am in Medina and getting all the details."

The chief minister said that the "law should take its course" after the unfortunate development.

A heavy contingent of Punjab Police had earlier raided the residence of Parvez Elahi in a late-night attempt to arrest him, it was reported.

Footage aired on television, and later social media showed the police barging into the house with law-enforcement personnel climbing over boundary walls to enter the premises.

The police could not find the former Punjab CM at the residence, but reports suggested that 12 individuals, apparently those working at the premises, were arrested.

Punjab Police on Saturday booked former chief minister Parvez Elahi on several charges including terrorism following a raid at his house late on Friday night in an attempt to arrest him.

In the case, it stated that law enforcement officials were “attacked with stones, batons and petrol” during the raid.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged at Lahore’s Ghalib Market Police Station invoking Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, and Section 324 (attempted murder) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) among others.

As per the FIR, Parvez Elahi's employees “locked the house from the inside, while a countless” number of people present inside threatened the team when it arrived at his home.

Parvez Elahi's workers also pelted law enforcement authorities with stones and doused petrol on them, causing a fire to break out, said the FIR.

Elahi's son moves Lahore High Court

Parvez Elahi's son Rasikh Elahi also registered on Saturday a petition in the Lahore High Court against the Punjab Police's attempt to arrest his father on Friday night.

In his petition, he blamed the Punjab government, the Anti Corruption Establishment Punjab and the inspector general (IG) Punjab for the "illegal raid and violation of fundamental rights", urging the court to intervene in the matter.

He added that the court had granted bail to Parvez Elahi, who is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president, in an anti-corruption case till May 6.

It further requested the court to ensure the fundamental rights of the petitioner and halt the arrest till the expiry of his bail.

Rasikh also requested the court to take action against those involved in the "illegal raid and the ones that misused their powers and violated the fundamental rights of the petitioner".