An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has issued bailable arrest warrants for Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, in a case lodged against him at Gujrat’s Industrial Area police station.
The ATC ordered authorities to present Sanaullah before it on March 7. The Gujrat police lodged a terrorism case against Sanaullah based on the complaint of PML-Q leader Shahkaz Aslam, stating that Sanaullah had threatened the then Punjab chief secretary and his family.
The police had quashed the case and submitted a report to the court, which was later annulled by the ATC. This led to the issuance of arrest warrants for the minister.
The court also served show-cause notices on the investigation officer, DSPs, and SP Investigation, ordering them to present Sanaullah before the court.
Punjab Home Minister retired Col Hashim Dogar stated that Sanaullah was booked for threatening the judiciary and government officials.
This is not the first time Sanaullah has faced legal action. In 2019, he was in the news when a case was lodged against him for possessing narcotics.
The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Lahore team arrested him while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on the motorway.
The force claimed to have seized 15 kilogrammes of heroin from his vehicle and arrested five others, including the driver and security guards of the PML-N leader.
However, during the hearing, ANF Assistant Director Imtiaz and Inspector Ehsaan deemed the charges against Sanaullah “incorrect” and “fake”.
Two witnesses in the case also submitted affidavits stating that the drugs were not recovered in their presence. The court acquitted Sanaullah and all the other accused in the case.
Sanaullah’s political affiliation is with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), a party that forms part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of opposition parties.
When the PDM-led government came into power, the special court acquitted Sanaullah in the narcotics case.
The current case against Sanaullah relates to death threats he allegedly made to government officials.
This case comes at a time when Pakistan’s political landscape is already facing scrutiny for its use of vengeance as a tool to settle political scores.
It is hoped that the court proceedings will be fair and just, and that justice will be served in the case against Sanaullah.