Forensic report confirms that alleged ice recovered from Matiullah Jan was not drugs

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday received a forensic report indicating that a substance allegedly recovered from journalist Matiullah Jan was not drugs.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Inam Amin Minhas was hearing the matter to determine whether charges under the narcotics laws could be formally framed. After reviewing the report, the court returned the case to the trial court for further proceedings.

Jan said in a post on He added that the high court returned the application, along with the laboratory report, to the trial court and directed the government to file a supplementary challan.

“Finally, thanks to the government and non-government politicians who immediately declared this case false and fabricated after its registration,” he wrote.

A day earlier, a special anti-terrorism court in Islamabad dismissed another application filed by Jan and decided to proceed with terrorism charges against him. Judge Supra, who oversees narcotics and terrorism cases, said the court had considered submissions from both the prosecution and defense and would formally lay charges.

Jan had questioned the framing of charges in the narcotics case, arguing that there was no video evidence of drug recovery. The IHC had earlier granted the prosecution additional time to submit forensic reports, but the police had not done so during the previous two hearings.

After Wednesday’s hearing, Jan described X’s case as “false” and an “open attack on journalists and press freedom.” He said he was kidnapped from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad on November 27 while reporting on casualties at a PTI protest, following which a fake FIR was lodged against him.

After hearing arguments, Judge Supra reserved his verdict on Jan’s application challenging the court’s jurisdiction and adjourned further proceedings until February 19.

Background

The Federal Capital Police registered a case against Jan, alleging his involvement in terrorism and possession of narcotics following an incident at a checkpoint in Islamabad.

According to the FIR lodged by Superintendent of Police Asif Ali at Margalla Police Station, Jan was detained at check post E-9 while driving a white Toyota Yaris towards F-10. The FIR states that the vehicle rammed into the police personnel, injuring constable Mudassir. When the vehicle stopped due to a barrier, Jan allegedly got out of the car, assaulted the officer and briefly grabbed his SMG rifle, which was later recovered by police.

The FIR further alleges that Jan appeared under the influence of a narcotic, and a subsequent search of his car discovered 246 grams of methamphetamine under the driver’s seat. A 1 gram sample was collected for chemical testing and the car was impounded.

The case invokes Section 9(2)4 of the Narcotic Substances Control Act 1997, which covers possession of psychotropic substances between 100 grams and 500 grams. It also cites Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 along with Sections 186, 279, 353, 382, ​​411, 427 and 506(ii) of the Pakistan Penal Code relating to assault, obstruction of public servants, theft, mischief and threats of harm.

The FIR was registered at 3:20 am on Thursday, almost an hour after the alleged incident. Jan’s family earlier claimed that he was abducted from the parking lot of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences the previous night, raising concerns about the circumstances that led to the filing of the FIR.