PESHAWAR, Sept 19: The assistant superintendent of police, cantt circle, and the SHO, charged with the murder of a Union Nazim, were allowed interim pre-arrest bail by the court of additional district and sessions judge here on Thursday.

The presiding officer, Saleem Khan, directed the two officers — ASP, Dar Ali Khattak, and SHO, Shakirullah Bangash — to furnish two sureties of Rs100,000 each. The court fixed Oct 3 for deciding whether to confirm their bail to turn it down.

The accused were charged in an FIR lodged by advocate Ishaq Khalil, cousin of the slain Nazim, Fayyaz Khalil (advocate), after the occurrence on Sept 16.

The Nazim received bullet wounds during a violent protest by the inhabitants of Pishtakhara against Wapda for power suspension in the suburbs of the provincial capital.

A grand jirga of the Khalil tribe, to which the deceased belonged, and the Peshawar District Bar Association, had demanded in separate meetings, the arrest of the two accused. To avoid that pressure the accused decided to move the court.

Although, the bar association had asked all its members not to plead the case of the two officers, Farman Chamkani (advocate), appeared for the accused before the court on Thursday and contended that they were innocent and were falsely implicated in the case.