PAC orders probe into registration of fake case against Rana Sanaullah

Khan’s top aide and cabinet minister Shehryar Afridi had claimed the ANF had a watertight case against Rana, but Force officers later said he was blameless, leading to his acquittal.

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: The Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the matter of Anti Narcotics’ Force (ANF) registering a fake drug smuggling case against Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah.

A case was registered against PML-N’s RanaSanaullah during former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tenure, alleging Rana, who is now the Interior Minister, of being involved in drug smuggling and trafficking of heroin to Lahore.

A meeting of the PAC held Tuesday here at the Parliament House with Chairman Noor Alam in the chair ordered DG ANF to brief the parliamentary body on the episode.

Sanaullah was arrested by the ANF Lahore team on July 1, 2019. Khan’s Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Shehryar Afridi had held a joint press conference with the then ANF Director General Maj-Gen Muhammad Arif Malik, claiming the Force had a watertight case against Rana.

However, after proceedings of more than three years and five months, prime witnesses and officers of the Anti-Narcotics Force retracted their statements.

During the hearing in December 2022, ANF Assistant Director Imtiaz Ahmed and Inspector Ehsaan Azam said the charges against Sanaullah were “wrong”.

In their affidavits submitted to the court, the two officials reaffirmed that they were present at the Ravi Toll Plaza at the time of Rana’s arrest on July 1, 2019. But they said they “never saw any sort of drugs being recovered” from the PML-N stalwart.

The special court (Control of Narcotics Substances) then acquitted the Interior Minister in the case.

PAC member Sheikh Rohail Asghar expressed his disgust over the episode of registration of a fake case against an honorable member. He said the registration of such cases illegitimately maligns any citizens and hurts them morally.

Asghar said such ‘politically motivated’ cases cost the national exchequer as well as the nation’s time.

Another member, Barjees Tahir while expressing annoyance, inquired about the ANF officials involved in registration of case against Rana Sanaullah. The PAC directed the Secretary Narcotics’ Division to hold a probe into the matter to bring to the book those responsible for registering the fake case.