Rana Sanaullah calls for judicial probe in drug trafficking case against him

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah on Friday called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the case filed against him by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) last year.

Addressing the floor of the Lower House for the first time since his release on bail last December, the former Punjab law minister described the case in details, saying he wanted the case to become a part of the assembly record.

“I left my home at 1:10pm to attend a party meeting in Lahore when the ANF arrested me. From the time I was taken into custody till 10am the next morning, no one spoke to me,” Sanuallah said.

“There were cameras installed in that police station and you can ask for the record if I was ever interrogated by the agency,” he added.

Read also: LHC grants bail to Rana Sanaullah in narcotics case

The PML-N leader continued, “As you promised me that my request will be forwarded to Prime Minister Imran Khan, I demand the formation of a cabinet committee to probe this case.

“If that is not possible, a judicial commission should be formed for the inquiry. I am saying this because no investigation was ever done.”

Sanaullah further asked the National Assembly speaker to play the aforementioned video in the house for its members to see.

Holding the Holy Quran in his hands, Sanaullah vowed that he was speaking the truth, urging the powers that be to look into the case "or else they will invite God’s wrath".

“Do I not have the right to tell my side of the story? Why should I stay silent?” he said.

Read: The inside story of Rana Sanaullah's arrest by the ANF

Before concluding his speech, Sanaullah warned that the practice of creating fake cases, if not discontinued, could come back to haunt others as well.

He also recalled how "60 years ago a case of cattle theft against Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi had become a stain" for the late politician.

'Won't allow case against me to proceed till video proof presented'

The PML-N leader had earlier said he would not allow the drug case against him to proceed until the alleged video against him was presented. 

Urging an open trial of the case against him, Sanaullah had said, “Until and unless an open trial is held, we will not let the case proceed at all,” he said.

Was granted bail in a fake case after six months, won't accept it as justice: Rana Sanaullah

He had also questioned where the alleged video was. “If the video is present, then it should be presented in court. This case will not move forward until the video is presented in court.”

Drug possession charge

Sanaullah was arrested by ANF officials on July 1 from Faisalabad while he was on his way to a meeting. ANF claimed the former Punjab law minister was in possession of 15 kilogrammes of heroin when he was arrested.

A case was filed in accordance with the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997 after a large stash of contraband was allegedly recovered from his vehicle.

Sanuallah had subsequently filed a bail petition against the charges which was later dismissed by the special court for the Control of Narcotics Substances.  

The petition had pleaded that the case against Sanaullah was 'politically motivated and based on mala fide intentions. It had argued that the alleged recovery of narcotics from Sanaullah had merely been an 'eyewash'.

Read also: Rana Sanaullah says changes in NAB law a bid to 'protect' govt

The petition had said that the prosecution had failed to present any independent witnesses of the alleged recovery from Sanaullah. It had said that the video evidence presented before the trial court had been contradictory to the incidents narrated in the first information report (FIR).

Failing that petition, Sanaullah had again approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) on November 20 seeking release on bail.

Finally on December 24, the LHC had granted bail to Sanaullah in the narcotics possession case against two surety bonds worth Rs1 million each.