December 20, 2008	Saturday	Zilhaj 21, 1429

PESHAWAR, Dec 19: The Peshawar High Court on Friday granted bail to an alleged militant charged with blowing up of CD shops in Peshawar city.

A single-bench comprising High Court Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan accepted the petition filed by Qari Muhammad Arshid and directed the petitioner to furnish two sureties of Rs100,000 each.

The bench observed that the accused-petitioner was arrested on the basis of confessional statement of another accused on the basis of which he could not be denied the concession of bail.

The petitioner was arrested by the officials of Gulberg Police Station after they had arrested another accused, Abdul Wakeel, while he was traveling in a public transport vehicle. The police had allegedly recovered from possession of Abdul Wakeel two dynamite sticks and six fuses and an FIR was registered against him on Oct 13.

The accused, Abdul Wakeel, in his confessional statement stated that he and Qari Arshid had carried out attacks against CD shops in Gunj area of the Peshawar city. He added that he was paid money by Qari Arshid to purchase explosives from Karkhano and while he was returning back he was arrested by the police.

Qari Arhsid, who runs a shop of Islamic CDs in Gunj Area, was arrested on Oct 15.

Advocate Gohar Rehman Khattak appeared for the petitioner and contended that he was not directly charged in the FIR and was falsely implicated in the case. He added that the police had not recovered anything objectionable from his possession.

Mr Khattak argued that on the basis of the confessional statement of the prime accused the petitioner could not be kept behind the bars. He added that the petitioner had not recorded any confession and there were various judgments of the superior courts on the point that confession of a co-accused could not be used against another accused.