ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has granted post-arrest bail to an accused in a major narcotics recovery case registered by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), while simultaneously expressing serious concerns over the law enforcement agency’s allegedly fabricated operation.
The apex court also ordered a comprehensive forensic examination of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage obtained from the residence of the accused.
During the proceedings, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar expressed deep concern over recurring fatalities inside ANF custody, stating that individuals have been killed while under the agency’s detention. He specifically referred to a prior incident where a suspect’s photograph in handcuffs surfaced publicly, only for the individual to be found dead the very next day.
Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim strongly reprimanded the present ANF officials, directing them to fear God and strictly refrain from misrepresenting facts in court.
A three-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard the post-arrest bail petition filed by Nazia Khawaja, a resident of Lahore. During the courtroom interaction, the defence counsel alleged that ANF personnel actively planted the contraband inside the house themselves to fabricate a false case against his client. Furthermore, the counsel informed the bench that the specific officer visible in the footage was physically present inside the courtroom. Conversely, the ANF law officer rejected the defence’s allegations, claiming that the recorded footage did not originate from the accused’s residence but was instead captured during an entirely separate raid conducted elsewhere. The field officer identified in the video similarly denied being the person depicted in the footage.
