ANF seeks financial details of Hanif Abbasi, his family

PML-N leader, seven others face charges of selling ephedrine to drug peddlers

RAWALPINDI: Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has started collecting financial details of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi and his family members, sources said.

In a letter issued on August 10, the anti-narcotics force sought financial details including bank accounts, names of companies, assets, liabilities, investments, banking transactions, history of foreign remittances, and CNICs used for operating different bank accounts.



The ANF authorities started probing into the financial holdings associated with Hanif Abbasi and his family members after he was accused of selling 500kg ephedrine to drug smugglers in a case registered on July 21, 2012.

According to sources, if the ANF succeeds in ascertaining that drug-money was used to make those assets, his assets could be frozen and confiscated under narcotics laws.

In 2014, an anti-narcotics court in Rawalpindi had indicted Hanif Abbasi and seven others in a case pertaining to selling ephedrine to drug peddlers. Currently, the court is recording statements of the witnesses.

During the court hearings, Hanif had submitted that he had sold ephedrine-containing medicines to a Karachi-based distribution company and several other medical outlets.

In its challan submitted to the court, the ANF had attached statements of two officials of Arafaat Traders, who contradicted Hanif’s claim of supplying 11,000 ephedrine-containing tablets to the company. The same company had previously admitted to have received the tablets from the PML-N stalwart.

The challan also incorporated statement of Razia Bakhtawari, owner of D-Watson Chemist, who also denied having received ephedrine from the accused.



Ephedrine is used in party dugs. Ephedrine’s actions are similar to that of adrenaline. It’s effects, although less powerful, are more prolonged. Users have reported increased energy levels; heightening of the mood and strange tingling sensations on the skull. It’s also like amphetamine (speed), but much weaker. Amphetamine effects the brain more directly whereas ephedrine is more physical. One’s body has a bell shaped response curve to ephedrine. Twice as much won’t make you twice as wired.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2017.