Rana Sanaullah is still an accused in drugs case as LHC did not acquit him: Afridi

• Shahryar says the prosecution team is waiting for the order in Rana Sanaullah’s bail case.
• The government submitted evidence in the court  in drugs case against Sanaullah within 17 days: Afridi.
• Afridi says ANF is a professional force and there is no victimisation at any level.

(Karachi) Federal Minister Shahryar Afridi said the Lahore High Court (LHC) did not acquit Rana Sanaullah in drugs case and he has been released on bail.  He added Sanaullah is still an accused in the case.

He expressed these views while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Afridi said that the Lahore High Court’s order in Sanaullah’s case has not been received as yet.

"The media is connecting one thing to me related to video. "In the first press conference, with the DG ANF, [...] I used the word footage. It was presented in a strange way," he said.

The federal minister said, “I urge media to not conduct media trial in Rana Sanaullah’s case.”

He said the LHC has not acquitted Rana Sanaullah in the case but released him on bail. “It is up to the court to decide the case,” he remarked.

Sanaullah is still an accused in drugs case, he mentioned. He said the prosecution team is waiting for the verdict in Rana Sanaullah’s case.

He said that the government submitted evidence in the court  in the said case against Sanaullah within 17 days of registering an FIR.

The minister said the ANF is a professional force. "Did the prime minister arrest him (Sanaullah)? Did I? [...] certainly not," he said, adding: "We did not interfere in his legal proceedings, there is no victimisation at any level.

"Time will prove this. This is the season of bails," Afridi said.

He maintained, “I or the ANF does not have personal enmity with anyone.”

He pointed out, “Rana Sanaullah claimed that he was involved in Real Estate business but in reality he did not sell a single property. Instead, he only purchased properties worth millions of rupees.”

Shahryar Afridi said that the government’s aim is to strengthen the state institutions.

Regarding the Model Town incident, the minister said innocent women were shot dead and Sanaullah is nominated in the case.

To a question, he said that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif is not sick and in good health. He said Nawaz Sharif is not getting medical treatment in London but he has gone there for shopping.

The former Punjab law minister was arrested by the ANF on July 1 while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on motorway.

ANF claimed to have seized 15kg heroin from his vehicle. Following Sanaullah's arrest in July, Afridi had said ANF had "complete footage" of the PML-N Punjab president, before it moved to arrest him.

Afridi had claimed that Sanaullah had been arrested after a three-week surveillance, adding that the ANF had complete and sufficient evidence to prove his involvement in the drug business.

The minister said the PML-N leader had been arrested on the basis of a lead from a person who had been arrested at Faisalabad airport.