Hanif Abbasi shifted to hospital with chest pain
On July 21, court had handed life imprisonment to the PML-N leader in ephedrine quota case
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the anti-narcotics court in ephedrine case, was shifted to Rawalapindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) with chest pain.
Sources privy to the hospital said that the PML-N leader has undergone several medical examination including ECG.
Abbasi was having breathing issues due to pollen allergy and tonsils, while his blood pressure was also not stable following 60 percent blockade in one of his heart’s veins.
The hospital sources further said that the doctors after reviewing his medical reports will take decision whether he would stay in hospital or sent back to Adiala jail.
Earlier, on July 21, an anti-narcotics court had handed life imprisonment to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi in ephedrine quota case.
During case’s proceedings, Abbasi provided legal use of as much as 363KG ephedrine whereas he failed in submitting the evidence pertaining to legal usage of 137KG ephedrine case in the court.
On the other hand, seven other accused in ephedrine case had been acquitted by the court.
Following his conviction, Hanif Abbasi had been barred from contesting elections. Abbasi had filed nomination papers from Rawalpindi’s NA-60 constituency to contest General Elections 2018. Police have arrested Hanif Abbasi following much-delayed court’s verdict.
History of ephedrine case
Hanif Abbasi was accused of selling as much as 500kg of controlled chemical ephedrine to the narcotics smugglers. All requests of Hanif Abbasi aimed at delaying the ephedrine case by ten days was rejected by the courts.
The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had registered the case against Abbasi and his accomplices back then in June 2012 under various sections of the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Act.
The anti-narcotics court had indicted Hanif Abbasi and the other accused back then in 2014.
Previously, the Supreme Court (SC) had turned down Abbasi’s plea against LHC order to hold ephedrine case hearings on daily basis.
Lawyer Kamran Murtaza told that LHC had announced verdict on an irrelevant plea and that his client has never asked for delay in the case.
It is to be mentioned here that the LHC had ordered to complete the hearing until July 21, only five days before the elections.
Hanif Abbasi, who is participating in the upcoming election from NA-60 opposite to Sheikh Rasheed, has been alleged of misusing 500kg of the controlled chemical ephedrine which he got for his company in 2010.
The PML-N leader and the other accused including his brother were indicted in 2014.
