The Lahore High Court has ordered police to ensure officers have smartphones to record videos during the arrest of drug suspects. According to a Supreme Court ruling, mobile video recording is mandatory when arresting individuals suspected of drug offenses.
The court made these remarks while rejecting a bail request from drug suspect Usman Ashraf. During the hearing, Justice Rizvi questioned SSP Investigation Muhammad Naveed about previous records of drug suspects and the number of cases against the current accused. It was revealed that the suspect had sixteen cases against him, though the defense lawyer claimed only eight were bailable.
The defense also argued that no mobile video was made during Ashraf’s arrest, which violates the Supreme Court’s mandate. Justice Rizvi then instructed SSP Investigation to provide smartphones to all police officers involved in drug arrests to ensure recordings are made. The SSP responded that officers already have smartphones, but Justice Rizvi questioned how this could be verified.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court dismissed the suspect’s bail application.