PESHAWAR, Oct 19: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday allowed the Anti-Narcotics Force to include the Sindh government as respondent in a writ petition challenging the NWFP government's notification of suspending prison term of a convicted drug trafficker, Amanullah Kundi.

A two-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Qaim Jan Khan, accepted an application by the ANF requesting the court to allow the inclusion of the Sindh government through the chief secretary as respondent in the writ petition filed earlier.

The ANF had also filed another application through which the court was requested to issue order of re-arresting the trafficker, Amanullah Kundi, who was released by the government on July 17 after his prison term was suspended on medical grounds.

On that application the court issued notice to the respondents, including Mr Kundi and the provincial government.

The Deputy Attorney-General for Pakistan, Salahuddin Khan, contended that the Sindh government was a necessary party in the petition. Therefore the petitioner should be allowed to include it as a respondent in the petition.

Mr Khan contended that Amanullah Kundi, who is also a former provincial minister, was convicted in Karachi, therefore, under the Criminal Procedure Code the Sindh government was competent to suspend the prison term. He added that the trial court was not consulted by the government while issuing the impugned notification.