ISLAMABAD: The Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Court has now summoned Mohammad Hanif Abbasi, the local leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Chairman Metro Bus Project Committee, on August 4 for indictment in ephedrine case.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in a challan submitted in the CNS Court declared Abbasi, his brother and five employees of his Grey Pharmaceuticals accused of misusing 500kg controlled chemical ephedrine.

The Special Judge CNS Court of Rawalpindi summoned Mr Abbasi and other accused for indictment on July 2 but he (Hanif Abbasi) could not turn up for being indisposed.

The court has now fixed August 4 as next date of proceedings in the ephedrine case when it will frame charges against Mr Abbasi, his brother and other accused.

Abbasi had lost the May 11, 2013 elections from NA-56 to PTI chief Imran Khan.

ANF in its challan submitted to the CNS court in connection with ephedrine case placed Mr Abbasi on ‘column 4’ of a report prepared under section 173 of Criminal Procedure Code which is commonly known as challan.

Abbasi is accused of misusing 500kg of the controlled chemical (ephedrine) which he obtained in 2010, but instead of using it in medicine he had allegedly sold it to narcotics smugglers.

Therefore, the ANF had registered a case against him and his partners in June 2012.

In November 2012, Abbasi obtained bail from LHC Rawalpindi bench.

The challan also includes statements of two officials of Arafaat Traders, the Karachi-based medicine distribution company, to whom Abbasi claimed to have supplied 11,000 ephedrine-containing tablets. — Staff Reporter

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2014