Rana Sanaullah Khan is a Pakistani politician who served as the country’s 39th Interior Minister. From August 2018 to August 2023, he was a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly. He is a senior member of the PML-N and the President of the Punjab Province of the PML-N since 4 May 2019. Before being elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sanaullah was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab five times and served in high-ranking provincial ministries.
Previously, he was the Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister from 2008 to 2018, the Punjab Local Government and Community Development Minister from 2008 to 2014, the Punjab Revenue Minister from 2008 to 2013, the Punjab Public Prosecution Minister from 2008 to 2013, and the Punjab Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Punjab) from 1990 to 1993 and again from 2002 to 2007.
Early Life and Education
Rana Sanaullah was born on January 1, 1955, in Faisalabad, Punjab, to Sher Muhammad Khan, into a Punjabi Rajput family. He is a practising lawyer with a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Government College, Faisalabad, and an LLB from Punjab Law College, Lahore.
He is the cousin of former Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Political Career
Pakistan People’s Party
In the 1990 Pakistani general election, Rana Sanaullah was elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly as a candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
In the 1997 Pakistani general election, he was re-elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly as a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N).
In the 2002 Pakistani general election, he was re-elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly from PP-70 (Faisalabad) as a candidate of (PML-N). He was also elected as the opposition leader of the Punjab Provincial Assembly. In 2003, he was kidnapped and tortured by the accused intelligence organisation Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for speaking out against the military dictatorship. Various photographs released in various newspapers showed Rana without his distinctive moustache and with a shaved head. His friends allege that the torture had such a long-lasting effect that it disrupted the natural process of hair development and that his hair hasn’t grown as bushy as it used to. He was transferred to DHQ Hospital after being released.
In the 2008 Pakistani general election, he was re-elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly from PP-70 (Faisalabad) as a candidate of (PML-N).
In the 2013 Pakistani general election, he was re-elected to the Punjab Provincial Assembly from PP-70 (Faisalabad) as a candidate of (PML-N).
In the 2018 Pakistani general election, he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-106 (Faisalabad) as a candidate of (PML-N).
Political Controversies
Alleged Links with Militant Organisations
Before his death, Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab who was assassinated in 2011 by militant Islamist Mumtaz Qadri, accused the PML-N in general and Rana Sanaullah in particular of having links with militant organisations such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a group known to use violence against Pakistan’s religious minorities, particularly Shias. Observers remark that Taseer’s security was in the hands of the PML-N at the time of his death, with Shehbaz Sharif as Chief Minister and Rana Sanaullah as Law Minister.
In February 2010, Rana Sanaullah met with SSP leader Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi in his capacity as Law Minister and PML-N leader, stating that the SSP “had a vast following and vote bank and that its support made political sense,” finally justifying the PML-N-SSP electoral partnership. Christophe Jaffrelot goes on to note that for Rana Sanaullah, it’s not just about political alliances, but also ideological affinities, as he “showed devotion to SSP heroes” during that campaign, paying respects at the tombs of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi and Azam Tariq.
The Controversial Accusation and Tragic Fate of Warren Weinstein
In August 2011, he accused Warren Weinstein, an American contractor in Pakistan, of being an American spy, even though Weinstein had been in Pakistan for seven years and there was no evidence that he was a spy. Weinstein went missing a week later and was murdered in an unintentional US drone attack on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in January 2015, as stated by US President Barack Obama at a White House press briefing on April 23, 2015.
Model Town Incident
Punjab Police raided Minhaj-ul-Quran in June 2014, sparking deadly clashes as Tahir-ul-Qadri’s supporters protested, resulting in casualties and injuries. Rana Sanaullah defended the police, fueling public outrage. Shahbaz Sharif dismissed Sanaullah amidst criticism, but demands for accountability persisted, with accusations against top officials. Despite investigations, no decisive actions have been taken.
Sanaullah's Arrest and Allegations of Narcotics Trafficking
In July 2019, while going from Faisalabad to Lahore, the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Lahore unit stopped him at the Ravi Toll Plaza on the highway. A first information report was made under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act of 1997, which includes the death penalty, life in prison, or a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to Rs 1 million.
Sanaullah was allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking and was bringing heroin to Lahore, according to the First Information Report (FIR). The police had been given this information. The trial court denied him bail twice, but on December 24, 2019, the Lahore High Court granted him release.
Sanaullah’s Plea
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.
Imtiaz Ahmed, Assistant Director of the ANF, and Inspector Ehsaan Azam rejected the accusations against him during the final hearing, calling them “false.”[27] Along with other petitioners, Sanaullah asserted that this was an instance of political victimisation. They said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry had explicitly stated that this case had not been filed during the administration of ousted prime minister Imran Khan and had instead been brought by “influential people” in the country.
Acquittal in Narcotics Case
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was exonerated on December 10th, 2022 by a special court in Lahore following multiple hearings and his submission of a plea.