PTI firebrand and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry Friday admitted that the heroin smuggling case filed against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was fabricated, saying the case shouldn’t have been lodged.
However, speaking to a channel, he said it wasn’t the PTI that filed the case.
Responding to a question about Sanaullah’s allegations that drugs were provided by PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Shahzad Akbar, Fawad said his party had nothing to do with the case.
The PTI leader was questioned on who filed the case if it was not the PTI government.
At this, Fawad told the channel that he should ask Sanaullah, who had been talking openly about the matter in the Assembly.
The former information minister also distanced himself from a pledge then narcotics minister Shehryar Afridi took, saying this was not the right thing to do.
Afridi during a National Assembly session stated, “If you [Sanaullah] are speaking the truth, then you must face the trial and do not use the delaying tactics.”
Fawad further said when the case came up in the cabinet at that time, he had told the concerned people that this case was wrong, on which they had left the meeting.
He said when he inquired about the case against Rana Sanaullah, it was immediately realized that this case was useless and that such a case should never have been lodged.
Sanaullah was arrested in July 2019 by the PTI government by the Anti-Narcotics Force that claimed to have recovered 15kg heroin from his vehicle while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on the motorway.
A first information report was lodged under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail term that may extend to 14 years, along with a fine up to Rs1 million.
He was granted bail by the Lahore High Court on December 24, 2019.
The ANF had accused Sanaullah of drug trafficking, stating that the minister admitted to being involved in practice for the last few years.
“Rana Sanaullah used to take drugs from Afghans in Faisalabad and supply them abroad. He said his vehicle was not checked so he used to smuggle drugs in his
personal vehicle,” the challan said.
