ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: District and Sessions Judge Hidayatullah Shah on Wednesday granted bail to Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan’s son-in- law on medical grounds, police said.

The judge granted the bail when the lawyer of Saad Ali Khan, the son-in-law of Dr AQ Khan, submitted his medical certificate showing that he was not medically fit to appear in the court.

Meanwhile, sources in the police told Dawn that Saad Khan was suffering from an allergy and could not “live in unhygienic conditions”. The court had sent Mr Saad to Adiala Jail on judicial remand on August 12 for his alleged involvement in thrashing a British diplomat couple on the night between August 7-8.

A case was also registered against him with the Kohsar police under Sections 147, 149, 345 and 506 of the PPC on the complaint of Mark Johnson, the deputy security officer of British High Commission, in which he had stated that Mr Khan had thrashed diplomats Mr Lee and his wife, Ms Rose.

The sources said that according to the statements of eye- witnesses, including some security guards, there was no fault of Saad Khan and actually the British diplomat himself was responsible for the incident.

The security guards had told the police that Mr Lee was heavily drunk and was walking in the middle of the road with his wife in Sector E-7.

They said when Mr Khan blew the horn of his car seeking a passage, the British diplomat made an obscene gesture. Mr Khan stopped his car and protested over this act of the British diplomat. However, instead of apologising, the British diplomat started using an abusive language and later thrashed him, they said.

The guards also contested the claim made by the complainant, Mr Johnson, that Mr Khan and five other persons accompanying him had beat the British couple. They said Mr Khan was alone at that time and the British diplomat along with some other colleagues not only thrashed him but also tore his shirt. As a result, he received some bruises.

They said the diplomats stopped beating Mr Khan on the interference of some people. They said Ms Rose fell on the ground while trying to stop her husband from beating Mr Khan and received an eye injury when a person fell on her.