While resuming the hearing of Rs 7 billion Ephedrine scam on Friday, the Supreme Court directed Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) to conduct a free and fair investigation into the matter. A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry also declared Narcotics Control Ministry's directives that froze prosecutors' funds null and void saying the Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control Zafar Abbas Luk was creating hurdles towards the investigation.
The bench also asked Abbas to reverse all those directives that resulted in the transfer of investigative officials including Regional Director ANF Brigadier Fahim Ahmed Khan and investigation officer Deputy Director Abid Zulfiqar as well as rendered the ANF dysfunctional and powerless through substituting DG ANF with Secretary Narcotics Control.
During the last hearing on April 10, the bench summoned Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani's recently elected son Ali Musa Gilani and some bureaucrats, including Principal Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, to appear before the court because of their alleged involvement in the scam.
At the onset of hearing, Raja Salman, the counsel for Gilani and Lashari, informed the bench that his clients were ready to appear in the court. Meanwhile, the bench allowed former parliamentarian Sheikh Rasheed to become party to the case and asked him to extend co-operation to ANF. Acting secretary Zafar Abbas Luk told the bench that ANF had not recovered any facility to convert ephedrine into any narcotic material so far. According to him, any evidence of misuse of ephedrine has also not been traced.
At the onset of the hearing, secretary narcotics Abbas blamed ANF for fabricating cases, saying officers of the force never bothered to follow rules and regulations. He further said that ANF targeted innocent people and added that he was ready to resign if he failed to prove his accusations. Abbas maintained that it was within the realm of possibility for ANF to even incriminate the premier by planting heroin in his car. Abbas requested the bench to protect him from ANF, saying that the force could arrest him from his home. The Chief Justice then remarked: "You are a powerful person who can transfer a sitting Brigadier and General". The CJP added that incumbent secretary Narcotics Abbas was defaming the ANF.
Munir Ahmed Piracha and Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, counsel for M/s Danas Pharmaceuticals, told the bench that they had already approached the High Court for grant of bail and had nothing to say in the present proceedings. Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi, counsel for ANF, pointed out that the bail matter was lingering unnecessarily. Upon which, the bench asked the concerned High Court to dispose of the matter in relation to bail within 7 days. The bench adjourned hearing of the case for three weeks.
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