Moonis alleges that the Gujrat residence of her family was searched by the police.
PML-Q leader queries appearance of ‘2 black Vigos’ beside 25 police vehicles during a late-night raid.
Moonis Elahi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and the son of the previous chief minister of Punjab, claims that his Gujrat home was searched early on Wednesday.
Moonis Elahi claimed in a tweet that police arrived at their door “without having a warrant, nor a case.”
He said, “I can wrap my brain around the 25 police vehicles, but why were there two black Vigos?” implying that intelligence agencies were engaged in the operation.
He asked mockingly, “Were they hunting for Indian agents?”
The PML-Q is thought to be a party that seeks to stay in the good graces of the establishment, therefore the remarks represent a substantial shift in the leader’s stance.
Moonis had asserted that his party had only decided to work with Imran Khan after consulting with former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, with whom the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been at odds since Imran was ousted.
Elahi will go to court
Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, a former chief minister of Punjab, denounced the raid and accused the administration of participating in “vengeful acts.”
He claimed that “workers were harassed in the middle of the night” and stated in a tweet, “I deplore the illegal police raid on Zahoor Elahi House Kunjah Gujrat.”
He issued a warning and threatened legal action, saying, “The caretaker administration of two months should desist from these petty measures.”
The PML-Q leader declared that his organisation will file a lawsuit against “these illegitimate measures of the caretaker administration,” adding that he “full trusts in an independent judiciary.”
In another tweet, Elahi directly addressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pleading with him to “respect the sanctity of the house” and admonishing him that “people will demonstrate outside his own home.”
He emphasised that “Mohsin Naqvi’s mission is to ensure fair and transparent elections.”
While the nation is dealing with terrorism, the former CM expressed sadness that “the authorities have directed police and administration to engage in retaliatory operations.”
The raid also occurs after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday announced that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the leader of the PML-Q, would continue to serve as the party’s president, despite being removed from that position months earlier due to deteriorating relations with his cousin Pervaiz Elahi.
In exchange for a successful electoral coalition and merger with the Imran Khan-led former ruling party, the former Punjab CM, who ruled the province thanks to his affiliation with PTI, had his sights set on 10 seats in the National Legislature and 30 seats in the provincial assembly.
According to sources, Parvez Elahi’s alleged plans to merge his PML-Q with the PTI before the upcoming elections may have suffered due to the ECP’s decision.
It should be emphasised that the raid occurred just a few days after PTI charged that the interim Punjab administration was ‘politically persecuting’ the party.
The PTI leader had earlier this week written a letter to Pakistan’s Chief Justice pleading for him to step in and defend the “fundamental rights” of his party’s leaders, particularly the most recent leader to be detained, Fawad Chaudhry.
The nomination of Mohsin Raza Naqvi as the interim chief minister of Punjab has also been challenged in court by the erstwhile ruling party.
