PESHAWAR, Nov 30: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday acquitted a woman convict, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a subordinate court in a case of drug trafficking.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Pir Liaqat Ali upheld conviction of two other persons including husband of the said woman by dismissing their criminal appeals.

The three appellants – a female, Niaz Pari, her husband, Gohar Ali and Nek Mohammad, who was driving the car carrying contraband -- were convicted by the special court (control of narcotics) on Jan 28, 2010, and were sentenced to life imprisonment with fine of Rs100,000 each.

The appellants were arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force near Kohat when they were travelling in a car. The personnel of ANF had recovered 18kg of raw charas and over 7kg of opium. The couple was also having their two children with them. Advocate Nasrun Minallah appeared for the woman and contended that she had no knowledge about the presence of contraband in the said vehicle. He stated that the couple was travelling as passengers and the said car was a cab.

The bench observed that there was growing tend of using females as carriers by the drug traffickers. Justice Dost Mohammad observed that women had been used in such like cases so as to hoodwink the law-enforcing agencies. It was observed that the court wanted to discourage that trend.

The bench regretted that unfortunately their area had been turned into a gateway of smuggling narcotics from Afghanistan to rest of the world. The bench observed that how could they believe that the said female was not aware about smuggling of contraband.

Mr Minallah contended that in their society females had to act under the command of their husbands. He added that in the present case the female was also having her two children with her.