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Rana Sanaullah
رانا ثناء اللہ
Rana Sanaullah in 2022
39thInterior Minister of Pakistan
In office
19 April 2022 – 10 August 2023
Prime MinisterShehbaz Sharif
PresidentArif Alvi
Preceded bySheikh Rasheed Ahmad
Succeeded bySarfraz Bugti
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
13 August 2018 – 10 August 2023
Preceded byNisar Ahmad Jutt
Succeeded byNisar Ahmad Jutt
ConstituencyNA-106 Faisalabad-VI
Provincial Minister of Punjab for Law and Parliamentary Affairs
In office
11 June 2013 – 31 May 2018
Chief MinisterShehbaz Sharif
In office
3 July 2008 – 20 March 2013
Chief MinisterShehbaz Sharif
Deputy Leader of the Opposition inProvincial Assembly of Punjab
In office
2002–2007
Speaker AssemblyChaudhry Muhammad Afzal Sahi
Leader of the OppositionQasim Zia
In office
1990–1993
Speaker AssemblyMian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo
Leader of the OppositionRana Ikram Rabbani
Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab
In office
1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018
ConstituencyPP-70 Faisalabad-XX
In office
3 July 2008 – 20 March 2013
ConstituencyPP-70 Faisalabad-XX
In office
25 November 2002 – 17 November 2007
ConstituencyPP-70 Faisalabad-XX
In office
18 February 1997 – 12 October 1999
ConstituencyPP-59 Faisalabad
In office
5 November 1990 – 28 June 1993
ConstituencyPP-59 Faisalabad
Personal details
Born
Rana Sanaullah Khan

(1955-01-01)1 January 1955(age 69)
Faisalabad,Punjab, Pakistan
Political partyPakistan Muslim League (N)(1993-present)
Other political
affiliations		Pakistan Peoples Party(1988-1993)
RelationsIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry(cousin)[1]

Rana Sanaullah Khan(Urdu:رانا ثناء اللہ;born 1 January 1955) is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who is currently serving as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs since April 2024. Previously, he served as the 39thInterior Minister of Pakistaninfirst Shehbaz Sharif's Government.He is second most popular official inShehbaz Sharif Government.[2]He's been a member of theNational Assembly of Pakistanfrom August 2018 till August 2023. He is a senior member ofPML-Nand thePresident of PML-NinPunjab province[3]since 4 May 2019. Before getting elected to theNational Assembly of Pakistan,Sanaullah had been elected to theProvincial Assembly of Punjabfive times and had served in high-ranking ministries of the province.

Previously, he has served as the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister ofPunjabfrom 2008 to 2018, Local Governments and Community Development Minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2014, Revenue Minister ofPunjabfrom 2008 to 2013, Public Prosecution Minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2013, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Punjab) from 1990 to 1993 and again from 2002 to 2007.

Early life and education

[edit]

Rana Sanaullah Khan was born on 1 January 1955 to Sher Muhammad Khan into aPunjabiRajputfamily, and is a practicing lawyer, holding a bachelor's degree in commerce fromGovernment College, Faisalabadand anLLBfromPunjab Law College, Lahore.[4]

He's a cousin of formerChief Justice of PakistanIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.[1]

Political career

[edit]

Pakistan People's Party

[edit]

Rana Sanaullah was elected to theProvincial Assembly of the Punjabas a candidate ofPakistan Peoples Party(PPP) in1990 Pakistani general election.[5][6][7]

Pakistan Muslim League (N)

[edit]

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a[8]candidate ofPakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)(PML-N) in1997 Pakistani general election.[9][10]

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from PP-70 (Faisalabad-XX) as a candidate of (PML-N) in2002 Pakistani general election.He was also elected[11][12]as the leader of opposition of the Punjab Provincial Assembly.[13]In 2003, he was abducted by alleged intelligence agencyInter-Services Intelligence(ISI) and was badly tortured for speaking against military regime.[14][15][16]Different pictures published in different newspapers showed Rana without his signature moustache and a shaved head. His acquaintances claim that the torture resulted in such an everlasting effect that interrupted the natural process of hair growth and since then his hair didn't grow that bushy as before.[17]When freed, he was subsequently shifted to DHQ hospital.[17][18][19]

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from PP-70[20](Faisalabad-XX) as a candidate of (PML-N) in2008 Pakistani general election.[21][22][23]

He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from PP-70 (Faisalabad-XX) as a candidate of (PML-N) in2013 Pakistani general election.[24][25]

He was elected to theNational Assembly of PakistanfromNA-106 (Faisalabad-VI)as a candidate of (PML-N) in2018 Pakistani general election.[26]

He ran in the 2024 Pakistani General Election from NA-100 on PML-N Party ticket but was unsuccessful, he received 11,2639 votes against Dr Nisar Ahmed Jutt, an independent candidate who received 13,1941 votes.[27][28][29][30][31]

Interior Minister

[edit]

After dissolution of Government of Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed down asInterior Minister.[32][33]On 17 April 2022, he was appointedFederal Interior Minister of PakistaninShehbaz Sharif's cabinet.[34][35][36][37][38]

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs

[edit]

In April 2024, the current President of PakistanAsif Ali Zardariappoints him as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs.[39][40][41][42][43]

Political controversies

[edit]
[edit]

Salman Taseer,theGovernor of Punjabwho was himself assassinated in 2011 byMumtaz Qadri,a militantIslamist,before his death accused the PML-N in general and Rana Sanaullah in particular of entertaining links with militant organizations such as theSipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan(SSP), a group known to use violence against Pakistan's religious minorities, especially theShi'as.Observers note that Taseer's security at the time of his death was in the hands of the PML-N,Shehbaz Sharifbeing the Chief Minister of the province while Rana Sanaullah was the Law Minister.[44]

Rana Sanaullah met SSP's leaderMaulanaAhmed Ludhianviin 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.[45]Christophe Jaffrelotgoes 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 ofHaq Nawaz JhangviandAzam Tariq.[46]

Warren Weinstein

[edit]

In August 2011, he accused an American contractor in PakistanWarren Weinsteinof 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 USdrone strikeon the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as announced by U.S. PresidentBarack Obamaat aWhite Housepress conference on April 23, 2015.[47][48]

Model Town incident

[edit]
Main article:2014 Lahore clash

On 17 June 2014, Punjab Police raided theMinhaj-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.[49][50][51]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.[52]

In the wake of public reaction and opposition's criticism, Shahbaz Sharif sacked Rana Sanaullah as Law Minister, andPunjab's top bureaucrat.[53]However, Qadri and other opposition leaders includingImran KhanheldShahbaz Sharif,Chief Minister of Punjab, responsible for the civilian deaths at the hands of police and demanded his resignation.[54]FIR of Model Town tragedy was registered against key figures of the present government including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and Rana Sanaullah.[55]

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.[56]

However no conclusive actions have been taken regarding the incident.

Narcotics case

[edit]

When Sanaullah was travelling fromFaisalabadtoLahorein July 2019, theAnti 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.[57][58][59][60]

According to theFirst Information Report(FIR), Sanaullah was allegedly involved indrug traffickingand 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, theLahore High Courtgranted him liberty.[61][62][63][64]

Sanaullah's plea

[edit]

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.[65][66][67][68]

Imtiaz Ahmed, Assistant Director of the ANF, and Inspector Ehsaan Azam rejected the accusations against him during the final hearing, calling them "false."[57]Along with other petitioners, Sanaullah asserted that this was an instance of political victimization. They said thatPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) leaderFawad Chaudhryhad explicitly stated that this case had not been filed during the administration ofousted primer ministerImran Khanand had instead been brought by "influential people" in the country.[69][70][71]

Acquittal in narcotics case

[edit]

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was exonerated on December 10, 2022, by a special court inLahorefollowing multiple hearings and his submission of a plea.[69][72][73][74]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abCJP favours PML-N because of cousin Rana Sanaullah,The Express Tribune newspaper, Published 16 December 2011, Retrieved 9 June 2017
  2. ^Hussain, Abid."'He running a gang?': Pakistan minister slammed for Khan remarks ".Al Jazeera.Retrieved2024-07-21.
  3. ^"Provincial Officials – PMLN".Retrieved2022-03-01.
  4. ^"Rana Sanaullah".Dawn News.13 January 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2024.He hails from a Rajput family. A practicing lawyer, he holds bachelor in commerce from Government College, Faisalabad and an LLB from Punjab Law College, Lahore.
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  16. ^"Pakistan 'on war footing to smash Taliban'".The Guardian.2014-01-28.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-07-20.
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  23. ^"Pakistan frees CIA spy charged with murder".The Guardian.2011-03-16.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-07-20.
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  25. ^Reuters (2022-11-08)."Evidence suggests reporter killed in Kenya was targeted, says Pakistan".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-07-20.{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  26. ^"NA-106 Results - Election 2018 Results - - Candidates List - Constituency Details - Geo.tv".www.geo.tv.
  27. ^"NA-100 Election Result 2024 Faisalabad 6, Candidates List".www.geo.tv.Retrieved2024-07-20.
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  30. ^"Major upset as Rana Sanaullah loses Faisalabad's NA-100 seat".ARY NEWS.2024-02-09.Retrieved2024-07-20.
  31. ^"Independent candidate Nisar Ahmed wins NA-100 seat".2024-02-09.Retrieved2024-07-20.
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  53. ^Shahbaz romoves Sanaullah as minister,Dawn (newspaper),21 June 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
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  61. ^"The inside story of Rana Sanaullah's arrest by the ANF".www.geo.tv.Retrieved2022-12-10.
  62. ^"Pakistan home minister writes to army chief about drug case".The Times of India.2022-07-10.ISSN0971-8257.Retrieved2024-07-20.
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  64. ^Staff, Web Desk (2022-12-10)."Rana Sanaullah acquitted in narcotics case".Pakistan Observer.Retrieved2024-07-20.
  65. ^Desk, BR Web (2022-12-10)."Rana Sanaullah acquitted in narcotics case".Brecorder.Retrieved2022-12-10.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  66. ^"Another plea seeking FIR against Rana Sana filed".www.thenews.com.pk.Retrieved2024-07-20.
  67. ^Bilal, Rana (2022-12-10)."Lahore court acquits Rana Sanaullah in narcotics case".DAWN.COM.Retrieved2024-07-20.
  68. ^Yasif, Rana (2023-03-06)."LHC dismisses Sana's plea challenging arrest warrant".The Express Tribune.Retrieved2024-07-20.
  69. ^ab"Court acquits Rana Sanaullah in narcotics case".The Express Tribune.2022-12-10.Retrieved2022-12-10.
  70. ^Desk, Web (2024-04-18)."Court issues notices on plea to register case against Rana Sanaullah".GNN - Pakistan's Largest News Portal.Retrieved2024-07-20.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  71. ^Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (2024-04-14)."Plea seeking registration of FIR against ex-interior minister dismissed".DAWN.COM.Retrieved2024-07-20.
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