Pre-arrest bail: QWP candidate granted bail till Apr 8

Bashir Umarzai sustained injuries in a blast on January 12 while he was on his way to a hearing in Charsadda.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday accepted pre-arrest bail request of Arshad Umarzai, a Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) candidate contesting general polls from P-K 19.

According to details, 11 people including former Awami National Party provincial minister Bashir Umarzai, had sustained injuries in a bomb blast on January 12 while he was on his way to appear case hearing in Charsadda. Arshad Umarzai had been nominated in the FIR filed by Bashir’s family. Moazzam Butt, counsel for Arshad, informed PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan that since the Taliban had claimed responsibility for the incident, the nomination of his client in the FIR was an act of political victimisation. The court later accepted Arshad’s pre-arrest bail till April 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.