Rana Sanaullah seeks post-arrest bail, questions ANF’s statement

PML-N Punjab president claims he is being implicated in false case because PTI wants to humiliate him

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sana Ullah has filed for post-arrest bail in the special court of Control of Narcotic Substances (CNS). He questioned the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF)’s stance as he had serious doubts about the authenticity of smuggling allegations against him.

The bail petition was filed through senior advocate Syed Farhad Ali Shah. In it, Sanaullah dispelled the drug smuggling allegation against him.

The petitioner claimed he had been implicated in a false case merely to humiliate him on the whims of the ruling party’s leadership.

He highlighted that the officials, who intercepted him, took control of his vehicle at gunpoint. They later took him and his security guards, including drivers, to the Regional Directorate of ANF at Lahore Cantt where they were confined.

ANF arrests Rana Sanaullah for carrying drugs

The lawyer said that the stance of the petitioner could be corroborated through CCTV footage, of the Punjab Safe City Authority (PSCA). The CCTV footage, the petitioner claimed, clearly showed that the vehicle was filmed at Lahore Canal Road towards Punjab University at 15:35 hours. He said it was necessary to highlight that as the per complainant’s version, the vehicle was intercepted at 15:25 hours near Ravi Toll Palaz Lahore when it was exiting the motorway.

It had further been alleged that not only was the vehicle intercepted, but recovery proceedings were also carried out after 15:25 hours, which included a short scuffle between the security guards of the petitioner and the officials of the ANF. However, quite surprisingly, the same vehicle was captured in the camera of the PSCA at Lahore Canal around 15:35 hours, which is situated more than 14 kilometres from Ravi Toll Plaza off the motorway.

The petitioner’s counsel Syed Farhad Ali Shah contended with the magisterial court that Sana had been suffering from a heart ailment and other diseases. Therefore, he requested that the accused be provided with necessary medicines and a special diet.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2019.