Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain lashed out at the Punjab police on Monday for attempting to enter his Lahore residence during a raid to arrest PTI President Parvez Elahi and termed the action “unacceptable”.

A police and ACE raiding team had conducted a raid at Elahi’s Gulberg residence, late on Friday night and arrested 12 people. The raiding party used an armoured vehicle to break open the main gate of the residence after facing resistance. However, the ACE team could not find Elahi, even after thoroughly searching the house.

The police officials had also tried to force their entry into the adjoining residence of Shujaat, but they were resisted by the PML-Q leader’s sons.

Talking to journalists today, Shujaat addressed the matter and recounted the night’s events, a PML-Q press release said.

“Before making statements on this entire matter, I would like to say that the procedure followed in this entire affair is unacceptable,” he said.

The PML-Q president strongly condemned how an armoured vehicle was used to break down the main gate of his residence and called on the authorities to bring to light and justice whoever was responsible for the matter.

Shujaat said that he would go into further detail about the matter some other time, adding that he had told his sons to remain patient.

“Looking at the current circumstances of the country, I don’t want to say anything that could further deteriorate the situation at the national level. Pakistan is engulfed in many problems and some people want to exploit this issue to worsen matters,” he said.

The PML-Q chief recalled that the police had shattered the glass on his door and injured his two sons with Chaudhry Salik Hussain requiring stitches on his hand.

Shujaat added that neither he nor his sons had anything to do with the case — pertaining to corruption in construction projects and commission from an international firm — on the basis of which police “attacked” his residence.

Earlier, the federal government had distanced itself from the police operation. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, in a phone call with PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, had said that the federal coalition had nothing to do with the raid on Elahi’s house.

Dar had also expressed grave concerns and claimed that the police action was orchestrated by the caretaker government.

Meanwhile, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said a day earlier that “no illegal action will be allowed by anyone” and added that he was collecting the details of the incident.

The caretaker CM said he was “appalled” to know that the team that had gone to arrest Elahi had instead stormed the PML-Q president’s home and injured his son.

“Law should take its course,” Naqvi had added.