PESHAWAR, Dec 15: A trial court in Abbottabad has issued arrest warrants against a customs inspector and ordered attachment of his salary as he could not appear before the court despite repeated notices.

Due to non-appearance of Nizamuddin Khan the trial of an accused in a narcotics case, arrested in 1997, could not be concluded.

The court of additional district and sessions judge, Zaffar Iqbal, on Saturday issued directives to the senior superintendent of Peshawar to produce the official, who was a witness in the case, before the court on Dec 21.

The court also directed that he should be brought before the court handcuffed.

The officials of the court informed the presiding officer that summons had been served on Mr Khan and he had duly received it, but did not turn up.

The accused, Mohammed Hussain, was arrested along with the prime accused Niaz Ali, on June 28, 1997, near Havelian Bridge by the customs officials.

They were travelling in a Pajero jeep bearing registration number PRP-151. The officials claimed recovering 75 kg of heroin from the vehicle.

The accused were charged both under the Customs Act and the Control of Narcotics Substance Act. Under the Customs Act their trial was conducted by the customs special judge, which convicted them on June 18, 1998.

They were sentenced to four years imprisonment with a fine of Rs100,000.

Both the accused had been facing trial under the Control of Narcotics Substance Act before the court of additional district and sessions judge, when the prime accused Niaz Ali, escaped from the premises of a court in Mardan, where he was taken to appear in an other case.

At present, Mr Hussain was facing the trial but for the last one year the customs officials, who were prosecution witnesses in the case, were not appearing before the court despite repeated notices. The officials had failed to appear during the last 20 hearings.

A writ petition by the Mr Hussain was also pending before the Peshawar High Court, praying that his trial by the additional district and sessions judge should be declared unconstitutional.

Mr Hussain had claimed that he was already convicted by the customs court and had undergone the prison term and his second trial by the additional district and sessions judge amounted to “double jeopardy”.