ISLAMABAD: A special court for the control of narcotic substances on Saturday dismissed an application of Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, the former principal secretary to prime minister, against ex parte proceedings in the ephedrine case and asked him to surrender to avoid confiscation of his property.
In April, the court had issued perpetual warrants for Mr Lashari’s arrest after declaring him a proclaimed offender.
Judge Arshad Mehmood Tabassum assured Malik Imran Safdar, the counsel of Mr Lashari, that his client’s point of view would be heard after he surrendered before the court or the investigation agency concerned.
The counsel informed the court that Mr Lashari was suffering from prostate cancer and he had gone abroad for treatment hence his absence from the court. He said Mr Lashari was under treatment in Canada and had also developed an eye disease and doctors had advised him not to travel.
The lawyer pointed out that initially his client was not nominated in the FIR and it was only at a later stage that the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had implicated him.He said Mr Lashari maintained a salary account in the MCB Bank which the ANF had frozen when he was not in the country.
He said Mr Lashari was declared a proclaimed offender without an opportunity being provided to him to appear before the court. The proclamation appeared in newspapers the same day when the court passed the order, he added.
The counsel said the ex parte proceedings were initiated 17 days after the issuance of proclamation, while under the law it could not be done before 30 days.
The judge put off the indictment of former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Ali Musa Gilani and other accused till Sept 3 because some accused were not present in the court.