Rana Sanaullah’s bail: LHC issues detailed verdict

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah. Photo: File

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued its detailed verdict on the bail granted to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah in a drug trafficking case.

The nine-page judgment was authored by LHC’s Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad.

In the judgment, the court highlighted that "the co-accused in the case was granted bail by a trial court, and his bail was not challenged by the prosecution in the high court."

The court also mentioned that the former provincial minister has been accused of "carrying 15kg of heroine, yet he was never sent on a physical remand". 

The court, in its order, approved the former Punjab law minister’s bail against two surety bonds worth Rs1 million each.

Also read: LHC grants bail to Rana Sanaullah in narcotics case

It is expected that the former Punjab law minister will be released today after he submits his surety bonds to the court.

Bail 'unique precedent', says govt

The government had termed the LHC decision of granting bail to Sanaullah as “unique precedent”. SAPM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, while talking to journalists on Tuesday, stated that all the evidence will be presented before the court.

Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi, in a press conference on Wednesday, said bail doesn’t mean Sanaullah "is acquitted". He claimed to have received threats while pursuing the case.

On July 1, the Anti-Narcotics Force had arrested Sanaullah while he was heading for a meeting from Faisalabad to Lahore.

A case was filed in accordance with the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997 after a large stash of contraband was allegedly recovered from his vehicle.