Punjab caretaker CM regrets police storming into Shujaat's house in bid to arrest Elahi

Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has expressed regret over police storming into Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's house in a bid to arrest former party leader Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who is now Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president on Friday night.

A heavy contingent of Punjab Police had raided Elahi's residence in Lahore to arrest him, drawing strong criticism from PTI, which had been voicing concerns against the arrests of its workers and leaders.

Surprisingly, the federal government on Saturday distanced itself from the late-night raid and blamed the Punjab caretaker set-up for the incident.

Taking to Twitter, the caretaker CM, Naqvi responded to a tweet by Shujaat's son, Chaudhry Saalik Hussain, who expressed dismay over whatever had happened.

Naqvi shared that he was in Madina but receiving all the details about the matter, saying that "no illegal action will be allowed by anyone".

"Appalled to know that team went to arrest Ch Pervaiz Elahi but stormed Ch Shaujaat’s House in which Ch Salik Hussain got injured. The law should take it’s course," the interim chief minister wrote.

Earlier, Saalik revealed in his tweet that his paternal aunt (Shujaat's sister), who is also Elahi's sister-in-law (wife's sister) had told the police party that the PTI leader was at the PML-Q leader's house.

"The police did what they did but what our people did not do less," the PML-Q leader had written in the Tweet that contained a video showing police party trying to break in his house.

Centre distances itself from raid on Elahi’s residence

On Saturday night, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar held an important meeting with PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also spearheading negotiations with the ruling alliance to evolve consensus on holding elections across the country on the same date.

Dar expressed regret over the raid on the PTI president’s house and violation of the sanctity of "chadar and char dewari" — a phrase used to describe family’s dignity.

During the meeting, Qureshi apprised Dar of the sentiments of the family of Elahi regarding the “illegal attack” at their residence.

“The federal government has nothing to do with the attack on the house of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi,” Dar was quoted as saying in the meeting.

The finance minister added that the raid was conducted by the Punjab caretaker government.

Dar said he would inform the ruling alliance's leadership about the reservations of the PTI regarding the police action and would get back to the opposition party on the matter soon.

Meanwhile, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal criticised the PTI leaders for “using women and children” as a shield to evade arrest.

Speaking on Geo News' programme "Naya Pakistan", the federal minister said both PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Elahi were not arrested when police conducted a raid at their residence.

“We never used wheelchairs or cried on TV,” he said while criticising the PTI’s leaders for raising hue and cry over arrests.

He said PML-N leaders — including its supremo Nawaz Sharif — faced "bogus cases and political victimisation" during the tenure of the PTI-led government.

Speaking on the same programme, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, PML-Q leader and the nephew of Elahi, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the police raid in a phone call with him.