No role in Rana Sanaullah’s arrest: Shehryar Afridi

Islamabad: Former Minister for Narcotics Control and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shehryar Afridi has publicly distanced himself from the arrest of senior Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah during Afridi’s tenure as the narcotics control minister in 2019.

He uttered these remarks outside the district and session court in Islamabad on Saturday.

Afridi clarified that it was the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), headed by a Major General that detained Rana Sanaullah on drug-related charges during the previous PTI-led government.

He emphasized that the ANF possessed substantial evidence against Sanaullah and had arrested him based on credible intelligence reports. Afridi firmly denied any allegations of political victimization, stating that Sanaullah’s arrest was solely based on the ANF’s findings.

Rana Sanaullah was arrested by the ANF Lahore team near Ravi Toll Plaza on the motorway on July 1, 2019. During the arrest, the ANF claimed to have seized 15kg of heroin from Sanaullah’s vehicle.

In addition to Sanaullah, the ANF arrested five others, including his driver and security guards. After remaining in custody for six months, Sanaullah was granted bail on December 24, 2019, by the Lahore High Court. Furthermore, he was subsequently acquitted by a special court in Lahore in a separate drugs smuggling case filed in December of the same year.

It is worth mentioning here that Afridi earlier used to take full credit of Sana’s arrest in 2019 as he claimed that he had all the evidence with him with full proof.

Regarding recent defections within the PTI following the May 9 vandalism incident, Shehryar Afridi refrained from making direct comments about those leaving the party.

He stated that only God knows the circumstances under which individuals are choosing to depart from the party, indicating his desire to avoid passing judgment on their decisions.