RAWALPINDI - Former Director General (DG) Health Dr Asad Hafeez, an accused in the case of ephedrine smuggling scam, filed an application in the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench asking for pre-arrest bail.

He claimed in his bail plea that he was innocent and the allegations levelled against him were baseless and untrue.
LHC Rawalpindi Bench Justice Shahid Hameed Dar and Justice Mehmood Maqbool Bajwa on Thursday issued notices to the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and directed them to produce the relevant record against the accused Dr Asad Hafeez within two weeks. 
The applicant, in his petition which he file through his lawyer Muhammad Ishaq Khan, apprised the court to grant him bail in the case he as health official allowed conversion of some 2400-kg Ephedrine strictly as per laws.  The former DG further said that his order was not unprecedented in 2010 as his predecessor Dr Rasheed Jumma, an accused, did allow allocations and conversion of the controlled chemical Ephedrine to the two pharmaceutical companies.  He further said that ANF had no any substantial evidences showing he as DG Health obtained any monetary benefits for allowing the conversions. “The investigator could not prove any mala-fide on his part while allowing the conversion from export purpose to local consumption” he stated.
Dr Asad Hafeez, while raising objections over the delay in registration of the case, said as DG he had sent the intimation to the ANF about the conversion making it sure that the Ephedrine would not be misused but the ANF filed the case almost after two years. 
The applicant further stated that he could not live in the jail as he was heart patient and backache. Therefore, the court may be awarded him the bail as he would attend court proceedings and cooperate with ANF investigating Ephedrine case.  It is pertinent to mention here that trial court on September 6 had thrown out the bail plea of Dr Asad in the ephedrine smuggling case.