Lahore (Web Desk): A special court in Lahore on Saturday acquitted Interior Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Rana Sanullah in a narcotics case filed against him during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government
The PML-N leader was arrested in July 2019 by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).
It had claimed to have recovered 15kg of heroin from his vehicle.
During the hearing today, Prosecutor Danish Mashkoor informed the court that he could not sign off witnesses' statement as he had resigned and was no more associated with the case.
After this, the remaining two prosecutors signed the document. ANF Assistant Director Imtiaz Ahmed and Inspector Ehsaan Azam dismissed the charges against Sanaullah, declaring them “wrong”.
In their affidavits submitted in court, the officials stated that they were present at the Ravi Toll Plaza on July 1, 2019, when Sanaullah was arrested.
The ANF officials added that they never saw any sort of drugs being recovered from the scene.
The court then announced the verdict acquitting Rana Sanaullah and other co-accused Sibtain, Usman, Amir, and Akram from the drugs smuggling case.
Earlier today, the minister approached the court with a plea. It stated that the case against the minister was “concocted, devised and fabricated”.
The petitioners also claimed that this was a case of political victimisation. They maintained that PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had categorically admitted that this case was not lodged during deposed premier Imran Khan’s government and that the case was filed by 'influential people' within the country.
The plea stated that the petitioners should be acquitted on the basis of benefit of the doubt as doubt is sufficient in this case for the acquittal of the accused.
It further claimed that the prosecution witnesses of the case did not support the version of the complainant.
The petitioners requested that their acquittal application be admitted and they be exonerated from the charge.
Rana Sanaullah was arrested in July 2019 by the ANF Lahore team while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on the motorway.
A first information report (FIR ) was registered under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail term that may extend to 14 years, along with a fine up to Rs1 million.
It stated that the force had received information that Sanaullah was allegedly involved in drug trafficking and was taking heroin to Lahore.
The PML-N leader remained in jail for six months until the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted him bail on December 24, 2019.
