Alleged links with militant organizations Salman Taseer, the
Governor of Punjab who was himself assassinated in 2011 by
Mumtaz Qadri, a militant
Islamist, before his death accused the PML-N in general and Rana Sanaullah in particular of entertaining links with militant organizations such as the
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a group known to use violence against Pakistan's religious minorities, especially the
Shi'as. Observers note that Taseer's security at the time of his death was in the hands of the PML-N,
Shehbaz Sharif being the Chief Minister of the province while Rana Sanaullah was the Law Minister. Rana Sanaullah met SSP's leader
Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi in February 2010, in his capacity as Law Minister and PML-N leader, arguing that the SSP "had a vast following and vote-bank and that its support made political sense", eventually justifying the electoral alliance between the PML-N and SSP.
Christophe Jaffrelot goes further, saying that it's not only about political alliance for Rana Sanaullah but also ideological affinities, as during that campaign he "showed devotion to SSP heroes", having paid respect at the tombs of
Haq Nawaz Jhangvi and
Azam Tariq.
Warren Weinstein In August 2011, he accused an American contractor in Pakistan
Warren Weinstein of being an American spy although Weinstein had lived in Pakistan for seven years and there was no evidence that he was a spy. Weinstein went missing a week later and was accidentally killed in a January 2015 US
drone strike on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as announced by U.S. President
Barack Obama at a
White House press conference on April 23, 2015.
Model Town incident On 17 June 2014, Punjab Police raided the
Minhaj-ul-Quran International's Lahore secretariat on the pretext of removing security barriers from its surroundings.
Tahir-ul-Qadri's followers, who were preparing for his arrival from Canada to launch an anti-government movement on 23 June 2014, protested and deadly skirmishes started. A dozen of Tahir-ul-Qadri's devotees were killed including three women and around hundred got seriously wounded from bullet shots. Rana Sanaullah, who is considered only second to the Chief Minister, remained adamant that the police action was justified which added to the public fury. In the wake of public reaction and opposition's criticism, Shahbaz Sharif sacked Rana Sanaullah as Law Minister, and
Punjab's top bureaucrat. However, Qadri and other opposition leaders including
Imran Khan held
Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab, responsible for the civilian deaths at the hands of police and demanded his resignation. FIR of Model Town tragedy was registered against key figures of the present government including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and Rana Sanaullah. A joint-investigation-team (JIT) was later formed to investigate the incident. Exonerated by the government led JIT he was sworn in as Punjab Law Minister again in May 2015.
Narcotics case When Sanaullah was travelling from
Faisalabad to
Lahore in July 2019, the
Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Lahore team detained him close to the Ravi Toll Plaza on the highway. Under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act of 1997, which contains the death penalty, life in prison, or a sentence that may last up to 14 years in jail, as well as a fine of up to Rs1 million, a first information report was filed. According to the
First Information Report (FIR), Sanaullah was allegedly involved in
drug trafficking and was transporting heroin to Lahore. This information had been provided to the force. He was twice denied bail by the trial court, but on December 24, 2019, the
Lahore High Court granted him liberty. Sanaullah claimed on 10 December 2022 that the case against him was "concocted, designed, and created" after the multiple hearings. In the name of justice, equity, and fair play, he pleaded with the court to drop the charges against him. Sanaullah's lawyer informed the court that "Sanaullah had nothing to do with narcotics" and that "the case was a political ploy." He added that there were contradictions between the witness testimony and the camera footage. Imtiaz Ahmed, Assistant Director of the ANF, and Inspector Ehsaan Azam rejected the accusations against him during the final hearing, calling them "false." Sanaullah was exonerated on December 10, 2022, by a special court in
Lahore following multiple hearings and his submission of a plea. == References ==