Pakistani court convicts ex-lawmaker for substance misuse

ISLAMABAD – A court convicted a former lawmaker and candidate for the national assembly Saturday giving him a life sentence for the misuse of a controlled substance he obtained for his pharmaceutical company.

Hanif Abbasi, a leader of the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-N, was immediately arrested following the hearing in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after Judge Mohammad Akram Khan announced the verdict in late session.

Abbasi, the two-time lawmaker who is contesting the upcoming election from Rawalpindi, was accused of misusing 500kg of ephedrine, which he obtained for his company, Gray’s Pharmaceuticals, in 2010.

The Anti-Narcotics Force had registered a case against Abbasi and his accomplices in June 2012. ANF officials claimed the substance was sold to narcotics smugglers who used it to make drugs for partying.

Earlier in the day, an independent candidate for parliament shot himself to death after his sons disagreed with his politics.

Officer Ishfaq Khan said that Mohammad Ahmed Mughal was running for office in both the national and provincial assemblies from the central city of Faisalabad.

He said Mughal faced opposition at home as his sons supported candidates from the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League for both seats.

Under Pakistan’s election laws, both elections in which Mughal was a candidate will be postponed and the process will start again after the regular July 25 elections.