Top cops directed not to restrain Elahi’s wife from submitting papers

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of Lahore High Court instructs lawful conduct in nomination process

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court Justice Ali Baqar Najafi has directed the Regional Police Officer (RPO) of Gujranwala, along with the District Police Officers (DPOs) of Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin, to adhere strictly to legal protocols, emphasising that they must not impede Qaisara Elahi, wife of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, from submitting nomination papers for the upcoming general elections before the relevant officers.

The directive stems from a plea filed by petitioner Qaisara Elahi in the Lahore High Court. She contends that she, her husband Pervez Elahi, and son Moonis Elahi intend to contest the forthcoming general elections scheduled for February 8. Their target constituencies include NA-69 and NA-64 for the National Assembly and PP-64 and PP-32 for the provincial assembly.

To facilitate the submission of their nomination papers, authorised individuals were appointed to represent them before the returning officers of the respective constituencies. However, Qaisara Elahi claims that these authorised individuals are facing obstruction from the Punjab police, including illegal abduction.

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Highlighting the constitutional provision in Article 4, which guarantees the inalienable right of every citizen to be treated in accordance with the law, the petitioner argues that they are currently being subjected to treatment based on the preferences of individuals in power.

The petitioner has urged the court to direct police authorities to refrain from harassing, abducting, and arresting the authorised representatives of herself, her husband, and son in the process of submitting their nomination papers.