Court acquits Pakistan’s interior minister in drug case

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A defense lawyer says a special court for narcotics cases in Pakistan has acquitted the country’s interior minister of drug smuggling charges, in a case filed against him during the previous administration. Rana Sanaullah, who also previously served as law minister for Punjab province, was arrested in July 2019 by federal anti-narcotics forces near the eastern city of Lahore. The anti-drug body said at the time that it also arrested five others, including Sanaullah’s driver and guards working for Sanaullah, and seized 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of heroin from the vehicle. Sanaullah spent nearly six months in prison until a court ordered his release on bail after ruling that no substantial evidence was ever presented.