Ephedrine smuggling case: SC dismisses Hanif Abbasi’s plea against LHC order

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday dismissed plea of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hanif Abbasi, challenging the high court verdict that ordered hearing of ephedrine case on daily basis.

A two-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, heard the petition filed by Hanif Abbasi, who is a nominated in the case, seeking dismissal of LHC directives to conduct daily hearings.

On July 12, the Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi Bench, Justice Ibad ur Rehman Lodhi ordered the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) court to hear the ephedrine smuggling case on a daily basis from July 16 and asked the judge to wind up the case till July 21.

The apex court, while upholding the LHC verdict, observed that counsel for petitioner had earlier consented to the ruling of the high court. The court, therefore, directed the counsel to approach the high court. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that they cannot hear the matter which was earlier consented by the counsel for the petitioner.

Kamran Murtaza, counsel for Hanif Abbassi, denied that he had consented to the LHC verdict. He requested the court to halt the proceedings till the high court ruling was clarified. He further contended that it would not send a good message if the case was fixed for hearing before the general elections being held on July 25.