LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seeking the cancellation of pre-arrest bail granted to Rasikh Elahi, Zahra Elahi, Tehreem Elahi – family members of former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi – and others in a money laundering case.
The court declared the appeal non-maintainable and directed the FIA to first approach the relevant court before filing any appeal. A division bench, led by Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, presided over the hearing of the FIA’s appeal. The agency had submitted that the trial court had confirmed the interim bail of the accused in violation of legal procedures. The FIA had registered a case against the Parvez Elahi family and others on charges of money laundering.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Punjab Syed Farhad Ali Shah on Thursday declared the minor domestic worker murder case as high-profile. Earlier, after taking notice of the incident in which a minor domestic worker girl was tortured and killed within the jurisdiction of Lahore’s Defense-C Police Station, the Prosecutor General Punjab summoned the investigating officer and the investigation in-charge, along with the case record.
The investigating officer briefed the Prosecutor General that the accused had tortured the minor domestic worker girl, buried her body, and filed a false theft FIR against her. In response to a question from the Prosecutor General that why the Anti-Rape Act 2021 was not applied and why the investigation was not conducted by the SSIO Unit, the investigating officer failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Expressing anger over the negligence and poor investigation, the Prosecutor General reprimanded the officers. Issuing a directive, the Prosecutor General ordered the SP Investigation to rectify the investigation’s flaws and appear on October 28, 2024. Additionally, a letter was sent to the District Public Prosecutor Lahore, stressing the importance of following the guidelines issued by the Prosecutor General’s office and ensuring that the investigating officer is provided with full legal assistance. On this occasion, Prosecutor General Punjab Syed Farhad Ali Shah emphasized that according to the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, protecting the rights and lives of citizens, especially women and children, is the top priority and legal responsibility.
“There will be no compromise on this,” he added. He further stated that the deceased girl is not just the plaintiff’s daughter but “our daughter as well,” and justice will be ensured at all costs.
The Prosecutor General also sent a copy of the proceedings to the Chairman of the Child Protection Bureau and extended an offer for a joint strategy to combat child labor and the abuse of domestic workers, in line with the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, to protect their rights and secure a bright future through mutual cooperation.
