Moonis, Saalik cross swords over police raid on Gujrat house

LAHORE: A row has erupted between two scions of the Chaudhry family of Gujrat, each representing rival factions.

Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, a former federal minister and son of PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, currently residing outside Pakistan for over a year, took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse his cousin, Chaudhry Saalik Hussein, — a former MNA and son of PMLQ President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein — orchestrating a police raid on their ancestral home in Gujrat to apprehend female family members.

In his tweet, Moonis alleged that Saalik was responsible for dispatching the police to their family residence. It is noteworthy that Qaisara Elahi, Moonis’s mother, is the sister of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein and the paternal aunt (Phuppo) of Saalik.

Responding to these accusations, Chaudhry Saalik Hussein urged Moonis not to exploit the ‘woman card’ and cautioned against tarnishing the family’s reputation. Saalik argued that Moonis could have sent his lawyers to handle the filing of nomination papers, emphasising that a candidate doesn’t need to be physically present for the process.

He advised Moonis to engage in politics rather than leveling unfounded allegations driven by personal vendettas.

Saalik, one of the three MNAs from the Chaudhry family along with Moonis and Hussein Elahi, criticised Moonis for potentially damaging the family’s prestige for political gains.

In his tweet, Saalik questioned Moonis’s approach, saying: “Have you started media reporting now? If not, first verify the news. You have an army of lawyers; it was better to send them instead, as the candidate does not need to show presence at the time of filing nomination papers. Don’t damage the prestige of the family for PTI votes.”

Saalik prayed for the resolution of the issues faced by Chaudhry Parvez Elahi. He also noted his gratitude that Moonis referred to the house in Gujrat as ‘ancestral,’ highlighting a time when its doors were allegedly locked for Saalik and his family.

This recent rift between the two Chaudhry family scions originated when the mother of Chaudhry Moonis Elahi faced challenges in filing nomination papers for Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and Moonis from the Gujrat seats. During this incident, it was alleged that unidentified individuals attempted to snatch nomination papers from the women of the family.