Saleem Shahzad gets bail

An additional district and sessions judge granted him bail against a surety of Rs500,000

KARACHI: A sessions court granted on Friday bail to former Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Saleem Shahzad in an around 25-year-old case.

The suspect, through his lawyer, moved a bail application, seeking grant of bail.

After hearing arguments from the defence lawyer and public prosecutor, an additional East district and sessions judge allowed his bail against a surety bond of Rs500,000.

The judge also called a report from the jail superintendent for not providing medical treatment to the applicant despite a court order.



The former MQM leader was arrested shortly after landing at the Karachi airport from Dubai on February 6 this year and sent to prison the following day in a case pertaining to providing shelter and treatment to alleged terrorists at Dr Asim Hussain's hospitals.

Later, the court granted him bail in that case.

However, he was not released as the police showed his arrest in four other cases lodged in the early 1990s and submitted that he was a proclaimed offender in the cases registered at Malir and Landhi police stations pertaining to kidnapping, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and rioting.



The bail applications of Saleem Shahzad in the remaining three cases are also pending before the sessions courts.