Be ready to ‘face music if inquiry not up to par’

LAHORE:

Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Monday warned the coalition government of taking extreme action if a fair inquiry was not conducted into the raid at his house.

In a conversation with The Express Tribune, Salik, who was injured in the “illegal” police action, said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had assured him of a detailed inquiry into the incident and that the findings of it would be shared with him in two to three days.

He said someone either from the Punjab or the federal government would have to own the raid. “If we don’t find the inquiry to be satisfactory, we will consider taking an extreme step.”

He said the police did not follow any Standard Operating Procedures during the raid as they did not even “have a search warrant”. “The police were chanting slogans against us which means that they had an agenda.”

Sources within the PML-Q disclosed that the party is considering parting ways with the government.

Senior leaders have suggested to the party chief to resign from ministries instantly, if a public apology was not tendered.

Further, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain strongly condemned the procedure adopted in the matter of arresting Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, saying it is “unacceptable”, as the main gate was broken with an armored personnel carrier.

In the wee hours of Saturday last week, up to 500 Anti Corruption Establishment and Punjab police officials had conducted a raid at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central President Elahi’s house and arrested around nine people but could not apprehend him.

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Talking to media persons, Shujaat said that on that night, the police went to Elahi's house and were told that he was at the house of Shujaat. “The police left Elahi's house and ran towards my house.”

When the police reached the door of my house, Shujaat said, his two sons were on the other side of the door.

The police tried to break the door, as a result of which the glass of the door was broken, but the door was not, but my two sons were injured in the incident. “Chaudhry Salik Hussain received stitches on his hand.” After two hours of trying, he said, the police backed away from the door.

Shujaat said that when the policemen were asked in which case all this was being done, they said in the charges, it was written that billions of rupees of commission was paid in road construction contracts in Gujrat.

Shujaat said the policemen also said that besides that, billions of rupees was received as kickback from an international firm and that they did not have more details.

The PML-Q president said, “Neither I nor my two sons have anything to do with any such matter.”

He said that considering the current situation of the country, “I do not want to say something that will worsen the situation at the country level”.

“Pakistan is surrounded by many problems. Some people want to create a strange situation in Pakistan by giving a wrong angle to this issue.”

He urged the authorities to bring to justice whoever was behind this whole issue. “At present, I have asked my two sons to remain patient in view of the current situation.”