Despite the bail from the Lahore High Court, the Punjab Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) and Lahore police conducted a joint operation to apprehend Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the Central President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The late Friday night operation lasted over three hours at Elahi’s residence in Lahore. However, although the teams arrested around nine individuals, they could not locate Elahi himself.
The ACE team, led by Additional Director Waqas Hassan, joined forces with heavy Anti-Riot Force (ARF) contingents to raid Elahi’s home. Elahi, a former Punjab chief minister, was targeted in connection with a case registered at the ACE Gujranwala. Notably, the raid occurred just hours after the ACE arrested a close friend of Moonis and charged the former chairman of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) with corruption.
Police arrived at Elahi’s residence on Zahoor Elahi Road around 11 pm, accompanied by senior officers, including superintendents of police (SPs) Ammara Sherazi and Dost Muhammad. The ACE team tried to gain entry into the residence but faced strong resistance. Elahi’s employees threw stones at the police as they attempted to enter the property, and a suspected petrol bomb was also thrown during the search.
After failed negotiations between Elahi’s legal team and the ACE team, the ARF tried to enter the premises but was met with fierce opposition from the house’s employees. Multiple attempts to breach the gate were made by the police, including scaling the wall, but they were unsuccessful due to the stone-pelting. It was reported that water mixed with petrol and kerosene oil was also thrown at the officers inside the residence.
Ultimately, the police used an armored personnel carrier (APC) to break through the main gate and access the building. They then proceeded to arrest over seven PTI members before smashing the house’s windows and doors to enter. Inside the living room, Elahi’s female relatives informed the officers that he was not at home.
The police continued their search, moving to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s residence, which is part of the vast complex and shares the same entrance. Shujaat’s son, Salik Hussain, told the police that Elahi was not in their home either.
The operation concluded around 2:00 am without the arrest of Elahi. Media reports indicated nine individuals, including two women, were arrested during the operation. ACE Additional Director Waqas Hassan later informed the media that they had thoroughly searched the homes of Chaudhry Shujat and Chaudhry Wajahat but could not find Elahi.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan strongly condemned the raid, stating that it was an attack on democracy in Pakistan and showed disregard for the women and family members present in the home. He said the raid was part of a “London Plan” aimed at demoralizing and destroying the PTI. He promised to provide a roadmap for the nation’s resistance to the erosion of the Constitution and democracy.
