KARACHI, July 18: Additional district and sessions judge-I (East) on Friday granted interim pre-arrest bail against a surety bond of Rs200,000 to Shakeeb Qureshi, a co-accused in the Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case.

Qureshi was the superintendent of police when Murtaza Bhutto was killed in a shootout with police near his residence in Clifton on Sept 20, 1996. Several other police officials were also nominated as accused along with Qureshi, who was declared absconder.

After granting interim bail to Qureshi, the judge put off further hearing till August 9.

Mir Murtaza Bhutto was killed along with his close aide Ashique Hussain Jatoi and six other workers and supporters of his party, PPP-SB.