Tag: Shehryar Afridi

  • VIDEO: ‘PM Imran wants ANF to stop burning charas, heroin, opium; make medicines instead’

    VIDEO: ‘PM Imran wants ANF to stop burning charas, heroin, opium; make medicines instead’

    Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wants the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to stop burning seized drugs, and set up a factory where the same will instead be used to make medicines.

    In a video doing rounds over the internet, Afridi can be heard as saying that his department was working to set up a factory on the premier’s orders, where medicines will be made from seized drugs, thousands of kilograms (kg) of which are set ablaze every year at a drug-burning ceremony.

    “We are setting up a factory… we burn a huge cache of heroin, charas [hashish form of cannabis] and afeem [opium] every year, but other countries use them to make medicines. Now, on PM Imran Khan’s instructions, a factory will be established in Tirah [Valley] so that lives of locals can be improved,” he can be heard as saying while addressing a gathering.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Several illegal drugs have been investigated for medical benefits such as treating hard-to-treat mental illnesses and chronic disorders.

    While cannabis or marijuana has long been known to provide pain relief, it also offers relief from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, controls nausea, and can minimise some symptoms of glaucoma and Crohn’s disease. In the United States (US) states where the drug is legalised, products for such things as period pain management are being made available to the public.

    As for heroin, a study at Hannover Medical School found opiate addicts — usually people addicted to painkillers like Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, or Demerol — were able to better kick their opiate addiction after taking small dosages of heroin. Heroin is also commonly used in hospitalised pain management, particularly in palliative care.

    THE CURRENT AT ANF’S DRUG-BURNING CEREMONY:

  • The Current Quiz: Which newsmaker PTI minister are you?

    The Current Quiz: Which newsmaker PTI minister are you?

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  • Shut courts if oaths are to decide cases: ANF DG

    Shut courts if oaths are to decide cases: ANF DG

    Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Director General (DG) Major General Muhammad Arif Malik has said that courts should be closed if cases “are to be decided through taking oath”, The News reported.

    The ANF chief’s statement came as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, who was granted bail in the drugs trafficking case against him, continues to swear over the Quran that he is innocent and the case is bogus.

    The ANF has challenged the bail of the former Punjab law minister Sanaullah before the Supreme Court, filing a petition against the verdict of the Lahore High Court (LHC). It has argued that there was sufficient evidence against Sanaullah for being involved in the drugs case.

    The ANF alleged the PML-N leader was carrying around 15 kilograms of heroin with him when he was arrested from Sukheki in July last year. The force asked the court to set aside the verdict of the LHC wherein he was allowed bail.

    Later, talking to the reporters, the ANF DG asked if any murderer ever admitted in court or in public that he/she killed a person. He said Rana Sanaullah’s case was being heard by the court and he should provide evidence of his innocence there.

    Major General Arif Malik said Rana Sanaullah and Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shaharyar Afridi both took oath and therefore, a draw should be held to figure out who is the culprit.

    Responding to a journalist who asked the ANF DG that if he could swear about the veracity of the case, he said courts should be closed if things were to be settled that way.

  • 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.

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    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.

  • ‘Even Imran knows it’s a fake case,’ Sanaullah swears innocence on Quran

    ‘Even Imran knows it’s a fake case,’ Sanaullah swears innocence on Quran

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Rana Sanaullah, who was granted bail in the narcotics case against him earlier this week, has sworn his innocence over the Holy Quran, cursing the ones who lodged the “false case against him”.

    According to The News, demanding a judicial inquiry into the drug smuggling allegations against him, Sanaullah on Thursday told a private media outlet that his vehicle was stopped at Ravi Toll Plaza and his gunman was made to leave the vehicle.

    “My vehicle was taken to the ANF [Anti-Narcotics Force] headquarters and no conversation took place during that time,” he said.

    “I asked, what is the matter? I was told that ‘it’s an order from high-ups’,” Sanaullah said. “The next day, I was produced before a court and the court was informed that I was found in possession of drugs.”

    Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Faisalabad, hours after his release from prison, on Thursday he said, “Almighty Allah is my witness, I have never used heroin.”

    He questioned where the drugs seized from his vehicle were. He said a false and baseless case was lodged against him. “May I suffer the wrath of God, if I ever favoured a drug smuggler,” he added.

    The PML-N leader also cursed the ones who lodged a false case against him. He also said he would repeat the same statements in the National Assembly, holding a copy of the Holy Quran in his hands. “You can’t stop us through such cheap tactics, [I] will not back off. It has become a tradition that a person tells lies and then says he has to return to Almighty Allah,” he said.

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    The PML-N leader said even the prime minister knew the case against him was fake. “All this is being done to subdue the opposition. Before my arrest I was 100 per cent with my party but today be with the 1000 per cent,” he added.

    Sanaullah demanded the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the government order a judicial inquiry into the allegations of drug smuggling against him.

    Referring to the trauma that he suffered due to incarceration, he demanded relevant authorities take action against the injustice he was meted out.

    He said that the ANF had secured 15kg heroin from a godown and produced false witnesses to back up their claims against him. “If it was such a large network, why weren’t others [involved in drug trafficking] arrested?” he asked.

    On his arrival at Faisalabad after release on bail, the party workers warmly welcomed him. The workers raised slogans in favour of him and expressed happiness on his presence. “I am also thankful to party leaders for supporting me in a difficult time,” Sanaullah said.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Shehryar Afridi reveals how he felt when Rana Sanaullah was arrested

    Minister of State for Safron & Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi in an exclusive interview with The Current in August shared how he felt when PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah was arrested for possessing drugs.

    “The most important for me are families who suffer because of this [drugs] menace,” said Afridi. “Positions and stature do not count. No one is above the law.”

    “No matter what position one is on, if found involved in such activities, they’ll be made an example [out of],” he asserted.

    When asked the one thing he liked about Rana Sanaullah, the minister responded, “I think his commitement to his party, which one should have.”

    Watch the complete interview and the place where Rana Sanaullah was first kept when arrested in this video:

    On July 1, Rana Sanaullah was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) after the discovery of a large stash of drugs in his vehicle from near the Sukheke area in Punjab. The former law minister was arrested while travelling with his guards to a meeting from Faisalabad to Lahore.

    The case against him was filed in accordance with the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997.

    He was granted bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday due to lack of evidence. The LHC directed Sanaullah to submit two surety bonds worth Rs1 million each to secure his bail.

  • 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.

  • ‘Army chief is our nation’s father,’ says Shehryar Afridi

    Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi has said that army chief is considered as nation’s both mother and father.

    While talking during a talk show on ARY News channel the minister said that in tough situations a nation always takes bold steps to maintain peace in the region.

    Replying to a question about why Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government thinks that a single man can avert tough situations in the country, Shehryar said, “Every house has a father and a mother and both have their own roles, at this stage when the country is in critical situation and facing threats from all sides, all nations has to take bold steps”.

    To this journalist Waseem Badami said that “this seems like an inappropritate example, as you cannot change your father after three or six years”.

    To this the minister said that “the head of state and the head of institution [Army Chief] can be considered as both, a father and a mother”.

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    Army Chief extension case

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday allowed the federal government to grant a six-month extension to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    In its short order, the SC directed the government to bring necessary legislation within six months’ time.

    The order, read out by Chief Justice (CJ) Asif Saeed Khosa, ordered the parliament to introduce legislation for appointment of Gen Bajwa under Article 243.

    The order stated regarding the Article 243: “Article 243 of the Constitution clearly mandates that the Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces and the supreme command of the Armed Forces shall vest in the President.”

    CJ Khosa remarked that the court is observing judicial restraint and leaving the matter to the parliament, adding that “We have reviewed several laws including Army Act 1952 and Rule 1954”.

    The court had earlier reserved its verdict in this high-profile case and directed the federal government to furnish a fresh summary of the army chief’s extension of services.

  • ANF embarrasses Afridi, denies his claim of video evidence in Rana Sanaullah case

    ANF embarrasses Afridi, denies his claim of video evidence in Rana Sanaullah case

    Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi’s claims regarding the recovery of heroin from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah’s possession seem to have put him in a tight spot as the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has reportedly denied making any videos or taking photographs at the time of the raid.

    According to reports, the ANF’s denial has made all other claims made by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during press conferences and in television interviews dubious while he continues to insist that Sanaullah was monitored for three weeks and all the video evidence is available.

    “The video of heroin recovery from Rana Sanaullah was also shown to the prime minister,” Afridi had claimed in a recent interview on Geo News, adding that the evidence will be produced before the court once the trial begins.

    He has also claimed that four judges have refused to hear the case against Sanaullah as “he is El Chapo of Pakistan and threatens people”.

    Interestingly, the anti-narcotics judge hearing the case was repatriated to the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the midst of the proceedings against Sanaullah and the duty judge has refused to conduct the indictment proceedings against the PML-N leader till the appointment of a regular judge.

  • ‘Drug tests to be made mandatory for teachers, students in Islamabad’

    ‘Drug tests to be made mandatory for teachers, students in Islamabad’

    Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has said that the government is planning to make drug tests mandatory for school staff and students in Islamabad, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, in a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control, Afridi asserted that no person responsible for propagating drugs to the youth would be spared, “even if they are members of the parliament”.

    He claimed that the government is working on legislation to punish the possession and distribution of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth or ice and added that the ministry had collected data of “drug dealers and money launderers” from over 250 international law enforcement agencies.

    Narcotics Control  Secretary Amjad Javed Saleemi also informed the Senate panel that they are maintaining a record of criminal entities involved in narcotics trade, adding that the system helps track drug peddlers and their facilitators.