GUJRAT: Gujrat Police have initiated the process to get red warrants for former federal minister Chaudhry Moonis Elahi issued after his name was inserted in an already registered murder case.

A senior official of Gujrat police confirmed that the process of issuance of red warrants had been initiated after Mr Elahi was declared a proclaimed offender in September in the case.

A man, Yasir, was shot dead in Chakrian village of the Mungowal Police Station on June 29 and the case was registered against two nominated suspects, Akhtar and Shabraiz. Akhtar was arrested and the other suspect declared a proclaimed offender.

Later, police nominated Moonis on July 25 on the basis of the statement of Akhtar and another section was added to the case to include the former minister in the case.

Police had got arrest warrants for Moonis from a local court on Sept 14. Now they have launched the process to get the red warrants for him to bring him back through Interpol in the murder case.

A close aide to Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said that Moonis had been nominated in a fabricated and baseless case to strengthen the extradition plea after failing to get the desired response in the money laundering cases registered with FIA and NAB. He said if red warrants would be issued, they would be challenged through the legal course of action.

Earlier, the FIA and NAB had launched the process of getting Moonis declared as an absconder to get his red warrants issued.

Moreover, Moonis had also been booked by Saddar Jalalpur Jattan police on charge of attempted murder on the complaint of PML-Q leader Afgan Farooq Kula Chor in August.

The former federal minister and scion of former chief minister Parvez Elahi has been living abroad for the last almost 10 months whereas his father is in jail for the last few months.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2023