'Drug of malangs': SC acquits man in hashish possession case

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court has acquitted the main accused in a narcotics case and ordered that the rickshaw where the drugs were allegedly found to be returned to its owner.

According to police, three kilogrammes of hashish were found under the seat of a rickshaw being driven by the accused in Attock.

A three-judge bench on Tuesday refused to uphold the four-and-a-half year sentence awarded by lower courts for the crime, saying it felt that police unfairly targeted the poor in cases of narcotics possession.

Justice Mohammad, who was heading the bench made some interesting comments about the cost, availability, and usage of the drug.

He also pointed out flaws in the current narcotics laws in the country, observing that the law has not been able to differentiate between the sale and purchase of drugs "in 100 years".

For instance, "People consume a glass of bhang before dhamaal at shrines," he observed at one point, calling it the drug of choice for malangs.

"A kilo of charas is available in Kabul for a few hundred rupees, while the same quantity is available for a billion rupees in Europe," he observed.

The net and gross weight of the drug also came under discussion during the hearing, with the court insisting that the drug needs to be weighed at its net value "since its packaging is substantially heavy". However, the court observed, the police usually weighs the drug at its gross weight.

The court said that the accused should hence be given the benefit of doubt with regards to the quantity of hashish in his possession.