Shehryar Afridi, Minister of State for Narcotics Control while refuting his earlier statements that the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) has videos against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah who was arrested on July 1, 2019 on charges of heroin smuggling, said that the case against PML-N leader will be pursued till its logical end.
The state minister was addressing a press conference, a day after the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted post-arrest bail to Sanaullah in a 15-kg heroin recovery case, lodged by the Anti-Narcotics Force. In a fiery press conference, Afridi said Sanaullah had been granted bail, not acquitted, adding that a perception had been created that the case was weak.
"The impression is being created that Rana Sanaullah has been released but I want to tell the nation that he is still an accused," Afridi said and added that all the evidence was given within 17 days but PML-N leadership started using 'delaying tactics' in the case.
Commenting on the bail of the former Punjab law minister, Afridi said that the government will go all-out in this matter. "One thing is being connected to me by everybody where is the video of the Sanaullah's arrest," the minister said.
Following Sanaullah's arrest in July, Afridi had claimed the ANF had "video footage" of the PML-N Punjab president before it moved to arrest him.
"This is a season of bail," commented the state minister, while insisting that the ANF is a professional force. In response to a query of the "footages" in question, Afridi said: "Take out all my press conferences, wherever I spoke about the videos I said we have the footages. In 17 days, all things were provided. Time will prove this."
Afridi, following Sanaullah's arrest, had repeatedly defended the ANF, claiming to have "pictures and video record" and saying that the PML-N leader's car was monitored for three weeks before he was arrested.
"Remember that the Anti-Narcotics Force is a professional force. We need to strengthen institutions, Shehryar will come and go, rulers will come and go but the real thing is the institutions of Pakistan."
"The court has not issued the order yet and the legal team would decide about the future strategy," Afridi maintained. He said that he himself has seen all the evidences against the senior PLM-N leader who has no source of income. He said that in his asset declaration Rana Sanaullah has claimed that he was earning through property dealing and law practice but Sanaullah has never been appeared in any of the five high courts of the country or Supreme Court. He said that there is no record that as a property dealer Sanaullah has ever sold even a single plot.
A case was filed in accordance with the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997 after a large stash of contraband was allegedly recovered from Sanaullah's vehicle few months back.
The PML-N leader was granted bail after five months and 23 days in custody. The ANF had arrested Sanaullah on July 1 while he was heading for a meeting from Faisalabad to Lahore.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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