Lal Muhammad v. State,
PCrLJ 2011 384 · Balochistan High Court
This case involves an appeal by Lal Muhammad against his conviction for drug trafficking under Pakistan's Control of Narcotic Substances Act. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 100,000 after being caught driving a truck found to be carrying 320 kilograms of hashish, hidden in secret compartments, at a police checkpoint near Quetta.
At trial, police witnesses testified consistently that they stopped the truck, discovered the concealed drugs, and identified the appellant as the driver. The appellant claimed he was innocent, saying he was merely a mason waiting for a contractor near the checkpoint when police wrongly arrested him along with others who were later released, while he alone was falsely implicated.
The Balochistan High Court rejected this defense, finding it contradictory and unconvincing. The court reasoned that since the appellant was proven to be driving the truck, it could reasonably be inferred that he knew about the hidden narcotics, making the drugs his exclusive possession in law. The judges also noted there was no evidence of any grudge or ill-will by the police against the appellant that might explain a false frame-up, and that such a large quantity of drugs was unlikely to have been planted on him without reason.
Finding that the trial court had correctly applied the law and properly evaluated the evidence, the High Court upheld the conviction and dismissed the appeal. This case illustrates how courts treat the act of driving a vehicle containing hidden contraband as strong evidence of knowing possession under narcot
یہ مقدمہ لعل محمد کی اس اپیل سے متعلق ہے جو اس نے پاکستان کے کنٹرول آف نارکوٹک سبسٹینسز ایکٹ کے تحت منشیات کی سمگلنگ کے جرم میں اپنی سزا کے خلاف دائر کی تھی۔ اسے عمر قید اور ایک لاکھ روپے جرمانے کی سزا سنائی گئی تھی، جب کوئٹہ کے قریب ایک پولیس چیک پوسٹ پر اسے ٹرک چلاتے ہوئے پکڑا گیا اور اس ٹرک میں خفیہ خانوں کے اندر چھپائی گئی 320 کلوگرام چرس برآمد ہوئی۔
مقدمے کی سماعت کے دوران پولیس گواہوں نے یکساں طور پر بیان دیا کہ انہوں نے ٹرک کو روکا، اس میں چھپی ہوئی منشیات دریافت کیں، اور اپیل کنندہ کو ٹرک کے ڈرائیور کے طور پر شناخت کیا۔ اپیل کنندہ نے خود کو بے گناہ قرار دیتے ہوئے دعویٰ کیا کہ وہ محض ایک مستری تھا جو چیک پوسٹ کے قریب ایک ٹھیکیدار کا انتظار کر رہا تھا، جب پولیس نے اسے دیگر افراد کے ساتھ غلط طور پر گرفتار کر لیا۔ اس ک