Anti-Narcotics Court in Pakistan Awards Life Term to Key leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)

Islamabad, July 22: An anti-narcotics court in Pakistan has awarded life imprisonment to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi in an eight-year-old ephedrine case. According to the judgment, issued late on Saturday night, Hanif Abbasi, the PML-N candidate against Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, failed to defend himself, and the charges levelled against him proved to be true, The Express Tribune reported.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials later arrested the PML-N leader — who also stands disqualified from the July 25 polls due to his conviction — from the court premises. Abbasi was reportedly shifted to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter, and son-in-law are also imprisoned. The court had reserved the judgment, which was announced after a delay of several hours at 11 p.m. (Pakistan time). Strict security arrangements were made at the court with the deployment of a large a large numbers of police officials. (IANS)