Court extends Rana Sanaullah's judicial remand till July 29

LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Tuesday extended judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz  MNA and former provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah in a narcotics case till July 29.

The court also directed Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF)  for submitting the challan (charge-sheet) of the case.

Besides Rana Sanaullah, other suspects including   Usman Ahmad, Sibtain Haider, Muhammad Akram, Umar Farooq  and Amir Rustam were also produced before Judicial Magistrate Ahmad Waqas on expiry of their judicial remand.

The ANF prosecutor requested the court for extending  the judicial remand of all the accused.

However, Rana Sanaullah's counsel argued that the court had ordered for filing challan within 14 days on the last hearing but despite passage of 14 days, no challan had been filed yet.

He submitted that ANF officials had not released personal items, medicines and medical reports of his client as well. He submitted that the case record had also not been submitted by  the ANF officials.

Rana Sanaullah apprised the court that his stance had not been recorded officially yet, whereas a team investigated him last day but all details were not provided to him.

At this, the court adjourned the hearing for a short time and sought case record from the ANF officials.

Later, the court resumed the hearing after a two-hour period, wherein, the ANF officials stated that a special investigation team was conducting the investigations into  the matter and all record was available with it.

To which, Rana Sanaullah's counsel requested the court for issuing directions to ANF officials for filing challan within three days.

At this, the court remarked that if the ANF officials did not submit challan under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code then he could approach the court.

Subsequently, the court adjourned hearing till July 29 while extending judicial remand of Rana Sanaullah and others.

It is pertinent to mention that strict security arrangements  were made on the occasion. A heavy contingent of police was  positioned inside and outside the court besides officials of  anti-right force.

A number of PML-N workers had also gathered outside  the court to express solidarity with their leader.

On July 1, ANF officials arrested Rana Sanaullah, who served as the Punjab law minister during the former PML-N government, from the 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.