Lahore: In another legal victory for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), a special court in Lahore Saturday acquitted Interior Minister Rana Sanullah in a narcotics case filed against him during the PTI tenure.
Rana Sanaullah was arrested on July 1, 2019, by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) from the Islamabad-Lahore motorway near the Sukheki point. The ANF had claimed that 15 kilograms of drugs were recovered from Rana Sanaullah’s car. He was later released on bail in December of the same year.
After spending 6 months in jail, the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted him bail in December 2019.
The FIR registered by the ANF claimed that the force had received information that Rana Sanaullah was allegedly involved in drug trafficking and was taking heroin to Lahore.
Rana Sanaullah’s plea
However, today (Saturday), Rana Sanaullah filed a plea, arguing that the case against him was “concocted, devised, and fabricated”.
The petition stated: “The prosecution remained unable to bring an iota of evidence against the petitioners/accused and the entire judicial file is also silent about any incriminating piece of evidence against the petitioner.”
It further stated that the case was the consequence of “political victimization”. Via the petition, Rana Sanaullah urged the court to acquit him of the charge “in the interest of justice, equity, and fair play”.
The hearing
During the hearing today, ANF Assistant Director Imtiaz and Inspector Ehsaan dismissed the charges against Sanaullah, declaring them “wrong”.
Separately, the witnesses in the case also submitted their affidavits in court. They stated that the said drugs were not recovered in their presence.
Subsequently, the court acquitted the interior minister and all the other people named in the case.
