LAHORE: A special court for control of narcotic substances on Saturday dismissed two applications of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Rana Sanaullah Khan, demanding video footage of his arrest in a drug recovery case by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and release of his vehicle on supardari (temporary possession).

The trial court also dismissed an application by the ANF seeking day-to-day hearing of the case.

Mr Khan and five other suspects, all on bail, appeared before the court along with their lawyers. An application for one-time exemption was filed on behalf of suspect Mohammad Akram as he did not appear due to a death in his family.

Presiding Judge Shakir Hassan allowed all suspects to leave after the court staff marked their attendance. Later, the judge announced verdicts on the three applications and dismissed them.

On the request of the defence counsel, the judge put off the hearing till March 7 when the suspects will likely be indicted. The counsel had pleaded that the next hearing be held after annual elections of the Lahore High Court Bar Association scheduled for Feb 29.

The judge also issued notices to the prosecution on three identical applications by Mr Sanaullah’s wife, Nabeela, daughter Iqra and son-in-law Sheharyar Ahmad against freezing of their bank accounts. They pleaded that the ANF misled the authorities and had their bank accounts frozen involving them in the “fake” drugs case against Mr Sanaullah.

A statement issued by the ANF said they had never claimed to possess any video evidence against Mr Sanaullah. It said the court had already declared that the video claimed by the minister was not part of prosecution evidence.

Outside the court, Mr Khan talked to the media and said he was fighting a war of justice against claimants of so-called Riasat-i-Madina.

He demanded State Minister Sheharyar Afridi present video of his arrest and alleged accomplices as previously claimed by the government. He claimed that Rs60 million had been paid to 10 prosecutors the government engaged in his case. An application had been filed with the information commission seeking details of the expenses being made by the government in the drugs case, he added.

Responding to media queries about the current political situation, the PML-N leader made it clear that his party did not want to become part of any interim set-up. He said his party believed that the only solution to the current “crisis” was mid-term elections so a government could be formed with the true mandate of the people.

Mr Sanaullah, also a former law minister, said not only the government allies, but the whole nation was angry over the performance of the government. He alleged that the “ATMs of Prime Minister Imran Khan” had been robbing the nation.

On conversion of former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s residence into a shelter home by the Punjab government, he said the PTI had resorted to politics of revenge. “The government has been setting worst examples of political victimisation,” he added.

Mr Sanaullah also condemned the government for placing the name of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz on the Exit Control List to restrict her from visiting her ailing father in London.

He said all politicians arrested in fabricated cases by the government were being now released on bails from courts. He hoped that former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal and former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafique and his brother Salman would also be released on bails as, he believed, the cases against them were fake.

He also slammed the government over a resolution passed by the National Assembly for public hangings of convicts in child rape cases.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2020