Two men acquitted in narcotics case

Islamabad: A special anti-narcotics court has acquitted two men in a drug case involving large quantities of charas and opium after finding that there was no direct evidence linking them to the seized narcotics.

Judge Jawad Hassan Abbas of the Special Anti-Narcotics Court cleared the two accused, identified as Siraj and Anwar Zeb, in a case related to the recovery of 84 kilograms of charas and 98 kilograms of opium.

During the proceedings, defence counsel Advocate Shan Zeb Khan argued before the court that the Anti-Narcotics Force had taken both men into custody from public transport last year. He contended that narcotics recovered from a vehicle could not be assigned to any individual merely on suspicion.

The lawyer further told the court that no narcotics had been recovered from the personal possession of either accused. He also argued that the driver and conductor had not identified Siraj or Anwar Zeb as the owners of the drugs seized in the case.

According to the defence, the two men also had no previous criminal record. Advocate Shan Zeb Khan stated before the court that both accused had clean past records.

Court ruling

The court acquitted the two accused after considering the absence of direct evidence, according to the case details presented in court. The matter had centred on whether the narcotics recovered from the vehicle could be legally connected to the two men arrested in connection with the case.

The defence maintained throughout the hearing that suspicion alone was not sufficient to establish ownership or possession of the narcotics, particularly when no drugs were recovered from the accused themselves and when other relevant witnesses did not identify them as being responsible for the seized contraband.

The case involved substantial quantities of narcotics, including 84 kilograms of charas and 98 kilograms of opium. However, the court ultimately ruled in favour of the accused and ordered their acquittal.

No further details were provided in the report regarding the prosecution's arguments beyond the fact that the Anti-Narcotics Force had arrested the two men from public transport last year in connection with the case.