Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has said he is “shocked” after alleged drug queenpin Anmol alias Pinky mentioned his name during a court appearance.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, Ashraf — who is also a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — said that a video clip surfaced on May 18 in which the alleged drug dealer mentioned his name.
“I was shocked to hear which Raja Pervaiz Ashraf she was referring to,” he told the lower house of parliament, adding that the woman later said she was being forced to make the allegation.
The ex-premier requested that such cases not be made public or shared on social media until investigations are complete.
He said every Pakistani has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty after due process.
Responding to Ashraf’s remarks, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq questioned Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on whether cybercrime authorities should take action against what he described as false propaganda.
At this, the law minister reiterated that the House stood with the senior PPP leader.
Pinky, accused of running a drug network, was arrested from her apartment in Karachi’s Garden area. However, the suspect denied the claim, alleging that she was detained in Lahore 15 days before being transferred to Karachi.
Besides narcotics, the suspect is also facing murder charges and is currently in police custody on physical remand.
On Tuesday, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Alam Odho said that several prominent names could emerge during investigations into the Pinky case, urging citizens to cooperate with authorities in efforts against drug trafficking.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, the Sindh police chief said that a task force was being constituted and asked the public to come forward and testify in court.
IGP Odho also said that multiple cases had already been registered against Pinky, including cases by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), adding that many individuals linked to the narcotics business could be identified during the probe. –Agencies
