Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi - 1980s

1980s

Following General Zia’s actions against the Bhutto family, Murtaza Bhutto formed Al - Zulfiqar, a terrorist organization.Ghulam Mustafa Khar then contacted Ch.Shaukat Nawaz Goraya in London, who was the right hand of Chauhdry Zahoor Elahi and was also the nephew of Mr.Sarfraz Goraya who from 1937-1969 consecutively was elected as MLA and MNA,to calm down Mr Zahur Elahi and warn him of Murtaza Bhutto. But he did not listen to Mr.Shaukat Goraya and Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi became the first victim of Al - Zulfiqar when he was assassinated in Lahore in September 1981. Murtaza Bhutto publicly accepted responsibility for the assassination in his interview with BBC.

At this juncture, the Chaudhry family decided that Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi (sons of the two brothers) should take charge of the family business as well as to enter politics. In 1982, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was elected Chairman of District Council Gujrat and remained Chairman for several years due to his popularity. In the 1985 non-party based elections, Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Elahi were elected to the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly respectively.

Despite being their political responsibilities, both cousin brothers attended to their business as well. In 1987, the family diversified into the sugar industry. They set up two sugar mills, at Mian Channu (Khanewal) and at Phalia (Mandi Bahauddin). The family also expanded their textile business by entering spinning and cotton yarn in 1990-91 and consequently set up two separate units in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin.

In 1988 Benazir Bhutto came to power and followed the footsteps of her family in victimizing the Chaudhry family. Her government issued orders to all banks to stop issuing working capital to the industrial units owned by the Chaudries, thus making them engineered defaulters. The family sought relief from the courts and continued their business on borrowing from the private sector.