LHC overturns 14-year sentence, acquits man in hashish case

1: 03 PM August 27, 2026.

Key points

• Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh allowed Zulfiqar Ali's appeal and quashed the 14-year imprisonment sentence imposed by the trial court.
• The LHC consequently extended the benefit of doubt to Zulfiqar Ali and set aside his conviction and sentence.
• The court discovered that police had failed to provide notable documents supporting the safe handling and transportation of the narcotics.
• According to the LHC, these omissions raised doubts regarding whether the recovered narcotics had remained in secure custody throughout the investigation.
• While one witness remarked the hashish pieces were square-shaped, another described them as round.

For context, the Lahore High Court has acquitted Zulfiqar Ali in a narcotics case after finding shortcomings in the prosecution's evidence concerning the recovery and custody of six kilograms of hashish.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh allowed Zulfiqar Ali's appeal and quashed the 14-year imprisonment sentence imposed by the trial court. The accused had remained behind bars for almost three years.

According to The court, presenting a sealed parcel containing narcotics before the court does not, by itself, establish that the recovered substance is the same material allegedly seized from the accused. It remarked prosecution witnesses should be allowed to identify the narcotics after the parcel is opened during the trial. Uzbekistan's Role in the SCO: Economy, Security and Regional Cooperation.

Meanwhile, the judgment placed responsibility on the prosecution to demonstrate that the seized drugs remained secure and that their movement from the place of recovery to the forensic laboratory and court was properly documented.

For context, the court discovered that police had failed to provide notable documents supporting the safe handling and transportation of the narcotics. While the required entry from Register No, the road certificate relating to the dispatch of samples to the forensic agency was absent from the record. 19 was additionally not produced.

According to the LHC, these omissions raised doubts regarding whether the recovered narcotics had remained in secure custody throughout the investigation. The court further highlighted conflicting accounts given by prosecution witnesses regarding the physical appearance of the hashish. 11 terrorists killed in fresh security operations in KP, Balochistan.

While one witness remarked the hashish pieces were square-shaped, another described them as round. According to The court, such an inconsistency could have been resolved if the sealed parcel had been opened in court and the witnesses had been asked to verify the recovered material.

For context, the judgment additionally produced it clear that a chemical examination report alone cannot form the sole basis for convicting an accused. Since the prosecution failed to establish the identity, safe custody and uninterrupted chain of possession of the narcotics, the court discovered that the case did not meet the standard of proof required for a conviction. Pakistan calls for end to Israeli occupation, settlement expansion in Palestine.

In practice, the LHC consequently extended the benefit of doubt to Zulfiqar Ali and set aside his conviction and sentence. It ordered his immediate release if he was not required in connection with any other criminal case.

In short, LHC overturns 14-year sentence, acquits man in hashish case is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.