'Drug menace eating into vitals of our society like cancer'

The Federal Shariah Court, while referring as many 12 cases of possession of heroin/charas/opium to district and sessions judge Sheikhupura, has observed that the menace of narcotics is eating into the vitals of our society like cancer. The court comprising Justice S.A. Manan and Justice Saeed-ur-Rehman Farrukh also observed that persons involved in drug trafficking have long hands and wide ranging contacts and they escaped punishment through dubious tactics.
The court, while entrusting the cases to additional district and sessions judge posted at Sheikhupura headquarter, observed that it would be legal obligation of the trial court to enforce the attendance of the prosecution witnesses and record their evidences.
The court further observed that besides, the case property, if still intact, shall also be ordered to produce in court or the relevant evidence about its destruction shall be recorded.
The respondents are also directed to be taken into custody to avoid the possibility of their non-appearance before the court. The court held that trials of these cases shall be concluded positively within a period of three months.
The court observed that the judge was influenced by the fact that the respondents had been suffering the agony of prolonged trial spread over a period of almost a decade.