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ISLAMABAD, Oct 16 (APP): The Supreme Court of Pakistan has referred the case of Lal Akbar, a convict serving life imprisonment in a narcotics case, to the Chief Justice for the constitution of a larger bench.
The three-member bench, headed by Justice Hashim Kakar, heard the case on Thursday. During the proceedings, the court raised several questions regarding the testing procedures, legal aspects, and determination of punishment in narcotics cases.
The counsel for the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) informed the court that the procedure for drug testing had been revised since 2021. Justice Hashim Kakar inquired how much punishment was previously awarded when the recovery of one kilogram of hashish was proven.
The convict’s counsel, Advocate Shahzaib Khan, responded that such cases usually carried imprisonment ranging from one to seven years. He further argued that the seized hashish packets were not tested separately.
Justice Kakar remarked that thousands of people were imprisoned due to similar cases and questioned, “Is there any expert on hashish present in the courtroom? This case is troubling us.”
He further observed that a three-member bench had previously given a ruling on a similar issue, and therefore, the present case was being referred to the Chief Justice for consideration by a larger bench.
It may be recalled that Lal Akbar was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 in a case involving the recovery of hashish, a conviction later upheld by the Lahore High Court.