Ch Shujaat slams 'unacceptable' police action at residence

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain strongly criticised Monday the police action on his house last week to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi.

He termed the police action "unacceptable" and said both his sons had been injured in the incident. 

"The procedure adopted in all this process is unacceptable. I strongly condemned how an armed personal carrier was used to take down the door," Hussain told journalists. He also called for the removal of officers involved in the raid.

The PML-Q chief said that he did not want to say anything which would harm national politics as the country is already in a lot of problems.

"When police went to Pervez Elahi's residence they were informed that he was at Chaudhry Shujaat's residence. The policemen left Elahi's residence and rammed into my house," the PMl-Q leader said. He added both his sons stopped the police from entering his house yet they tried to enter the house forcefully.

The PML-Q chief further stated that both his sons were injured in the raid and the police left after two hours.

Hussain said that when the police were questioned about the raid they stated that it was about embezzlement done in development work done in Gujrat. He clarified that both his sons were not related to the case.

The PML-Q leader added that he would speak about the raid at another time and he has asked both his sons to be patient.

Last week's late-night raid to arrest Elahi has become a hot topic in political circles.

A day earlier, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that he was "appalled" to know that the police stormed into the PML-Q president's house to arrest the PTI leader.

A heavy contingent of Punjab Police had raided the residence of the former PML-Q leader to arrest him. The PTI strongly criticised the police's actions, voicing concerns regarding the arrests of its workers and leaders.

Taking note of a tweet by Shujaat's son, Chaudhry Saalik Hussain, the caretaker CM said that "no illegal action will be allowed by anyone".

Saalik, sharing a video of the police party trying to break into his house during the raid to arrest Elahi, expressed dismay over what had happened.

"Appalled to know that team went to arrest Elahi but stormed Ch Shaujaat's House in which Ch Salik Hussain got injured. The law should take it's course," Naqvi wrote on the microblogging site in response.

Earlier, Saalik had revealed 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 a police party trying to break into his house.

The matter has also become controversial as the federal government distanced itself from the raid, blaming the Punjab caretaker set-up for the incident.