Tag: ANF

  • VIDEO: ‘Mein ne jaan Allah ko deni hai’ haunts Afridi at National Assembly

    VIDEO: ‘Mein ne jaan Allah ko deni hai’ haunts Afridi at National Assembly

    The first session of the National Assembly on Wednesday was particularly harsh for Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi as members of opposition parties trolled him for his statements regarding the case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah Khan, amid the government’s failure to present any “substantial evidence” before the court.

    According to media reports, opposition members repeatedly called Afridi a “liar” and mocked his oft repeated sentence “Mein ne jaan Allah ko deni hai” when the minister got up from his seat to respond to a query regarding the development work being undertaken in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

    PML-N MNA Shahnawaz Ranjha said that Afridi was his friend but “inhon ne jaan Allah ko deni hai”.

    The opposition’s criticism angered Afridi who responded by saying that some people would give their soul to Allah like Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), while some people would face God’s wrath like “Shimar and Firon”.

    He said that he would prove all allegations against him wrong if he was granted some time.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Interestingly, no person from the government benches — neither the PTI nor any of its coalition partners — came to Afridi’s defence as the opposition poked fun at the minister.

    Later, while speaking on the development in erstwhile FATA, Afridi informed the House that the budget for the merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had been enhanced from Rs58 billion to Rs162bn.

    Afridi said that Rs62bn had been allocated to the KP government for the “recurrent and development budget” for erstwhile FATA.

    He said that Rs48bn had further been earmarked by the federal government according to its share of the National Finance Commission Award and released to KP, adding that the federal government had also released Rs10bn for the previous financial year 2018-19 to the KP government.

  • ANF handled Sanaullah case poorly, caused embarrassment to govt: PTI ministers

    Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) ministers criticised the Anti-Narcotics force (ANF) for poorly handling the drugs possesion case against former law minister Rana Sanaullah, which became a huge embarrasment for the government, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, Director General (DG) ANF Major General Muhammad Arif was briefing the federal cabinet about the case against Sanaullah on Tuesday where he faced tough questions from the ministers.

    Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari asked why the arrest was not videotaped as “it is a norm to record video of every case these days”.

    Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema also reportedly asked for video evidence and proof of the offence and reminded his colleagues that “hollow swearing does not matter if there is no evidence in such cases”.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI government faced embarrasment due to the “mishandling” of the drugs possession case against PML-N leader.

    Agreeing to Fawad Ch the communications minister Murad Saeed, also blamed the agency for mishandling the case which provided the opposition parties an opportunity to criticise the government.

    The ANF chief while responding to the criticism said, “The ANF is an independent institution and will continue its work in accordance with the law,” adding that the agency took action on the basis of evidence only.

    “We have irrefutable proof against Rana Sanaullah. A strong case has been prepared and everything will come to the light once the trial starts,” said Maj Gen Arif.

    The agency’s chief later briefed the prime minister (PM) Imran Khan seperately in the presence of Shaharyar Afridi, Minister for Narcotics Control, about some secret aspects of the case. PM Imran after briefing directed the ANF to proceed the case according to the law.

    The PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah was earlier arrested in July by ANF after alleged recovery of a sizeable quantity of drugs from his car. He was later granted bail on December 24 by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    The court in its detailed verdict questioned why formal documentary proceedings of drugs’ seizure were not conducted at the time of arrest, and why ANF sent a sample of only 20 grams of the heroin recovered from Sanaullah’s car for testing when the seized quantity was a much higher 15 kilogrammes.

  • Rana Sanaullah case: Afridi says he has ‘footage, not video’

    State Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi on Wednesday said that following the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, he had “used the word footage in his press conferences and not video”.

    The minister’s implication that there is a difference between “video” and “footage” came as he addressed a press conference following brutal trolling by people over his tall claims regarding evidence in the case against the PML-N leader who was granted bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday.

    Earlier, the minister had repeatedly defended the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) by claiming to have “pictures and video record” of Sanaullah’s arrest during which drugs were recovered from his vehicle. He had also said that the PML-N leader’s car “was monitored for three weeks before he was arrested”.

    Speaking to journalists a day after the PML-N lawmaker’s bail, Afridi said there was a lot of talk in the media about video evidence, and clarified that he had “always used the word footage and not video”.

    The minister also alleged that Sanaullah’s legal team was adopting delaying tactics in the drugs trafficking case and defended the decision to book the PML-N leader.

    “After the bail a perception was created in the media that Rana Sanaullah was innocent,” he said, adding that the PML-N MPA had only been granted relief and not been acquitted by the court.

    “This is a season of bails,” commented the minister, insisting that the ANF was a professional force.

    Afridi also clarified that he did not speak about the issue earlier as he was out of the country.

  • Rana Sanaullah case: Shehryar Afridi backtracks on video claims

    Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has backtracked on his claims of having a video of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s arrest and the contraband recovered from his vehicle.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Afridi said that a team of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) followed Sanaullah for three weeks and “were not making a movie [that they’d have a video] when they arrested Rana Sanaullah”.

    The statement comes as a shock to many since the minister had earlier claimed that ANF had sufficient evidence against the PML-N lawmaker.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    But when asked about the video of the arrest, Afridi replied, “We have presented all the evidence and relevant details in the court”.

    The blunder isn’t the first of its kind, as previously, in a challan submitted before the court, ANF had claimed Sanaullah’s confession to involvement in drug smuggling.

    “I have been associated with drugs/narcotics smuggling for years. My expenditures swelled up soon after I entered into politics, but my income was not much. I developed links with drug smugglers after entering into politics, particularly after becoming Law Minister in the Punjab cabinet,” the PML-N leader was quoted as saying by the ANF.

    However, Sanaullah had denied all claims saying that he had not given any statement of confession to the ANF.

    “They took me to jail after arrest and not a single person spoke to me,” he had said.

  • ‘Started drug business to earn money for politics’, ANF quotes Sanaullah as saying

    ‘Started drug business to earn money for politics’, ANF quotes Sanaullah as saying

    The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA and Punjab President Rana Sanaullah Khan has admitted starting a drug business to earn money for politics, The News reported.

    According to reports, the ANF, in its challan submitted to a court Tuesday, quoted Sanaullah as saying that he has been associated with drug smuggling for years.

    “My expenditures swelled up soon after I entered politics, but my income was not too much. I developed links with drug smugglers after entering politics and becoming Punjab law minister in particular.”

    Sanaullah was further quoted as saying that a few politicians known to him “became billionaires through illegal means”.

    “The business suited me well so I started facilitating drug dealers and gradually started sending narcotics through my personal vehicles. It was an easy way to avoid the police, as being an influential person, no one dared to check my vehicle. I used to get drugs from Afghans in Faisalabad, drop them off to dealers who used to smuggle them abroad,” the ANF quoted him as saying in the four-page challan submitted.

    Sanaullah’s wife Nabeela has denied all charges and termed it a fake story. “My husband is innocent,” she told a private media outlet. Meanwhile, members of the opposition parties term the PML-N leader’s arrest the “worst example of lawlessness and political revenge”.

  • ‘Drugs likely planted in Rana Sanaullah’s car’

    ‘Drugs likely planted in Rana Sanaullah’s car’

    Members of Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control have doubted the government’s version that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Rana Sanaullah had 15 kilograms of drugs worth Rs220 million in his car, Dawn reported.

    Sanaullah was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) earlier this month after the stash was discovered in his vehicle while travelling via the Faisalabad-Lahore Motorway.

    Protesting against the apprehension, members of opposition parties condemned the episode as they argued that the MNA was arrested without any allegation and case against him. They termed it the “worst example of lawlessness and political revenge”.

    “There is a general scare that anyone can plant drugs in anyone’s car. The matter has been hushed up. We want to know exact details of the case of Rana Sanaullah’s arrest,” said PML-N Senator Saleem Zia, who raised the issue during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control on Friday.

    “Why would a politician and a former law minister be carrying drugs with him and that too in such huge quantities?” Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Anwar Lal Dean asked senior officials from the Narcotics Ministry and the ANF.

    While the senators implied that the drugs were planted in Sanaullah’s car, ANF Director General (DG) Major General Mohammad Arif Malik urged them to not make assumptions.

    “The minister for narcotics has already given a briefing on the matter. It would be unreasonable to assume that drugs were planted on him [Sanaullah]. Members should either come forward with proof that he was framed or believe the version of the ANF that drugs were recovered from him,” he was quoted as saying.

  • ‘Sleeping on floor with just one sheet’; how Rana Sanaullah spent his first night in jail

    ‘Sleeping on floor with just one sheet’; how Rana Sanaullah spent his first night in jail

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and MNA Rana Sanaullah, who was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Monday, spent his first night in jail sleeping on the floor, a private media outlet has reported.

    Rana was taken into custody by the ANF while on his way to Faisalabad for a party meeting. Being intercepted on the motorway by an ANF team in Sukheki, he was detained for allegedly possessing a huge stash of heroin.

    With an anti-narcotics court sending the PML-N leader and other accused to prison on a 14-day judicial remand Tuesday, a news outlet has revealed how Sanaullah’s first night in jail went.

    According to reports, the lawmaker spent the night sleeping on the floor of Barrack No. 6 at Lahore’s Camp Jail, where he was provided with just a single sheet to sleep on.

    The PML-N leader was shifted to his cell after jail authorities emptied all neighbouring barracks, while the five other accused were kept in the old block of the prison.

    Sanaullah was arrested days after a large-scale crackdown on drug peddlers in Punjab was launched. Latest reports claim the MNA would be given B-class facilities in jail.

    Jail officials say B-class facilities include a newspaper, television, bed, table and chair, besides some other items.