LHC finds lapses in prosecution case against Sanaullah.

LAHORE -- Lahore High Court (LHC), in its written order granting post-arrest bail to PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah in a narcotics case filed against him by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), on Thursday said "lapses in the prosecution case" were visible and indicate that the "guilt of the petitioner (Sanaullah) needs further probe and his case calls for further inquiry".

Almost six months after his arrest in July, Sanaullah had been granted bail on Tuesday by the LHC. He was released by jail authorities today after the submission of two surety bonds worth Rs1 million each.

A detailed verdict in the case was released on Thursday by the LHC.

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Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad, who authored the verdict, wrote:

Lapses in the prosecution case noted above are visible on surface of record like non-preparation of recovery memos at the place of recovery, non-investigation regarding involvement of petitioner in running a network of smuggling of narcotics and sending only 20 grams of contraband out of the total quantity of 15 kilograms heroin allegedly recovered from possession of petitioner do indicate prima facie that guilt of the petitioner needs further probe and his case calls for further inquiry.

Additionally, the judge noted that other co-accused in the case were granted post-arrest bail by the trial court, an order which was not appealed by the prosecution.

In its written order, the LHC also disposed of the ANF's special prosecutor's objections to the maintainability of the petition.

The judge recounted the events of the PML-N Punjab president's arrest based on the contents of the First Information Report (FIR) and other material available on the record.

As per the written order, the 21-member raiding party was constituted after receiving information about the arrival of Sanaullah at Ravi Toll Plaza in Lahore. Sanaullah, along with his gunmen (five in number), were stopped at the toll plaza and all of them were disarmed by the raiding party.

The LHC in its order said that at the place of recovery, no recovery memo regarding the allegedly recovered narcotics was prepared , rather the accused and the case property was taken to the police station where the necessary documentation was carried out.

"It is mentioned in FIR that gunmen of the petitioner started grappling with members of raiding party in order to rescue the petitioner forcibly but they were overpowered and disarmed," the order stated...