LAHORE: A special court on Wednesday released a five-page detailed verdict on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s plea for access to footage in a drug trafficking case.
While dismissing the plea, Special Court for the Control of Narcotics Substances Judge Shakir Hasan noted that Rana Sanaullah’s lawyers had requested access to footage as per the statement of Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi in the matter.
The court held that Shehryar Afridi and Director General Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) were not witnesses of prosecution in the matter. Hence, as per Section 265 of CRPC, the court could not ask Shehryar Afridi to provide the footage, it added.
The court also noted that the ANF had not mentioned any footage of arrest and monitoring of the PML-N leader, in its first report.
The court had further observed that the prosecution had attached all relevant documents with challan (charge-sheet) and the accused could get the verified copies of all the documents.
It is pertinent to mention that the court had also dismissed Rana Sanaullah’s plea for handing over of his vehicle on last Saturday, besides plea for access to footage. The court had summoned Sanaullah for indictment on the next date of hearing, March 7.
On July 1, ANF officials arrested Rana Sanaullah, who served as the Punjab law minister during the former PML-N government, from Islamabad-Lahore motorway near Sukheki, while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore.
The ANF had registered an FIR against the PML-N leader under 9-C, 15 and 17 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act. It was alleged that the ANF recovered 15 kilogram heroin and other drugs from Rana Sanaullah’s car, whereas, the operation was conducted on a tip-off.
The Lahore High Court had granted bail to Rana Sanaullah in the case against two surety bonds.
