• Naqvi “appalled” to know that police stormed into Shujaat’s house. 
• Statement comes after Centre distanced itself from incident.
• Saalik shares video of police party trying to break in his house.

Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said that he was “appalled” to know that the police stormed into Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s house during the operation to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parvez Elahi.

A heavy contingent of Punjab Police had raided the residence of the former PML-Q leader to arrest him. PTI strongly criticised the police’s actions, voicing concerns regarding 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 in his house during the raid to arrest Elahi, expressed dismay over what had happened.

“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,” Naqvi wrote on the microblogging site in response.

The interim chief minister shared that he was in Madina but receiving all the details about the matter.

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 police party trying to break in his house.

It may be noted that Naqvi’s statement came after the Centre distanced itself from the raid, blaming the Punjab caretaker set-up for the incident.

On Saturday night, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar held an important meeting with PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and said that the federal government had nothing to do with the raid.

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.