GUJRAT, Dec 23: A court on Sunday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate for PP-108 and PP-109 seats Shabeer Ahmed Gondal, along with his three guards, who were arrested by Karianwala police on Saturday for alleged possession of illicit arms.

Gondal was busy electioneering for two provincial assembly constituencies (PP-108, Karianwala and PP-109, Jallal Pur Jattan), when the police intercepted him near village Majara and searched his vehicle.

Claiming to recover illicit arms from Gondal’s vehicle, the police arrested him along with his guards Asjad, Ali Asghar and Shabeer, and registered an FIR against all of them.

Tanveer Gondal, president of PML-N, Gujrat tesil, and younger brother of Shabeer Gondal, however denied the charges saying his elder brother never kept illicit arms, while the weapons `recovered’ from the guards were all licensed. He added MR Shabeer had been receiving life threats since he announced to contest the poll. He further said they were being pressurised by police to withdraw from the contest in favour of PML-Q candidates.

Meanwhile, area magistrate Malik Ejaz accepted the bail pleas of Shabeer Gondal and his guards after which they were released.

PML-N district president Malik Hanif Awan has condemned the arrest of Shabeer Gondal in a fabricated case, warning police and the district administration against showing partiality. He said in a statement issued here that the workers of PML-N were being harassed through police to sabotage Mian Nawaz Sharif’s Gujrat visit scheduled for Dec 26.

He said PML-N nominee for PP-111 Haji Nasir Mahmood’s election office was also attacked by unknown people a few days ago and police had failed to maintain law and order.