LAHORE: A special court for control of narcotics on Thursday allowed a one-time exemption to former law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan from personal appearance in a drug case.

As the hearing resumed, a counsel for the former minister told the court that Khan, a sitting MNA, was in Islamabad to attend the session of the National Assembly. He filed a written application for the one-time exemption on behalf of Khan.

Opposing the application, ANF prosecutor Inamullah said the defence counsel had been seeking adjournments for the last one year or so, delaying the indictment of the suspects.

Taunting the defence counsel’s request for a long adjournment, the prosecutor said the court should better adjourn the case for a year.

Presiding Judge Shakir Hassan allowed the application of Sanaullah Khan and adjourned the hearing till Feb 13.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had arrested Mr Khan on July 1, 2019 and claimed to have recovered 15kg heroin from his vehicle. He was twice denied bail by the trial court and the Lahore High Court released him on bail on Dec 24, 2019.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2021