RAWALPINDI, Oct 22: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Tuesday summoned former MNA Mohammad Hanif Abbasi on November 4 while hearing a petition filed by the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) seeking the local PML-N leader’s custody to probe the ephedrine case.

Mr Abbasi had applied for an ephedrine quota in 2010.

The then health ministry later allocated 500kg of the chemical to Abbasi’s firm, Gray’s Pharmaceutical, for manufacturing DSM tablets.

However, Mr Abbasi is accused of misusing 500kg of the controlled chemical.

The LHC Rawalpindi bench on November 1 last year granted him a pre-arrest bail in the case, but on Saturday, the ANF sought the cancellation of Mr Abbasi’s bail.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, Shahid Mehmood Abbasi, the ANF prosecutor general, contended before court that investigators required the PML-N leader’s custody after new evidence emerged against him.

The new evidence was also brought on court record, and included the statements of Zulfiqar Sheikhani (owner of Karachi-based distribution company Arfat Traders) and Razia Bakhtawari, a partner of Mr Abbasi.

Last year, Sheikhani had escaped investigation while his trading company had claimed it had distributed DSM tablets containing ephedrine to 17 chemists in Karachi.

However, during investigations, the chemists denied they had received tablets from Arfat traders. Subsequently, Mr Sheikhani recorded a statement in July 2013 before the magistrate stating that his company had not received the tablets from Abbasi’s firm.

Likewise, Ms Bakhtawari, owner of a chain of chemist shops, also denied receiving DSM tablets from Abbasi’s firm.

On the other hand, Taufiq Asif, Mr Abbasi’s counsel, maintained that his client was innocent and the ANF had falsely implicated him in the case.

He said the former lawmaker was facing a “media trial” in addition to his trial in the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) court.

The bench, after hearing the initial arguments, summoned Mr Abbasi on November 4 and adjourned the matter till the next date of hearing.