KARACHI: The provincial government must wait till May 29 for the arrest of former home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza, as the Sindh High Court on Friday approved his protective bail in yet another case — 14th in a row — registered against him since his recent outcry over alleged corruption of former president Asif Ali Zardari.

The fresh case, according to Dr Mirza’s counsel, was registered on May 17 by the Badin police for alleged illegal use of weapons by him and his associates.

Also read: Police raid Zulfiqar Mirza's Karachi residence, arrest supporters

A single bench headed by Justice Muhammad Farooq Shah gave protective bail to the disgruntled and disowned leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party till May 29 in a sum of Rs100,000 directing him to appear before the court concerned for further legal remedy.

Dr Mirza has been thwarting the provincial government’s efforts to arrest him by moving the SHC that gave him anticipatory bail in all the cases so far registered against him.

On one of his pleas, the SHC has also served on the provincial and city police chiefs show-cause notices for attempting to take him into custody despite his being on protective bail in all cases registered against him and his associates.

On the other hand, Dr Mirza is also on a court notice on an application of Faryal Talpur, a PPP leader and sister of Mr Zardari, seeking contempt proceeding against him for making “malicious and libellous statements” against her and other family members in defiance to the court’s restraining order on the issue.

He was earlier restrained on May 8 by the SHC from making malicious statements on an application of Ms Talpur, who had become intervener in a constitutional petition of Dr Mirza against withdrawal of police guards from his security.

In his petition, Dr Mirza had apprehended for his life saying Zardari and chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Altaf Hussain were his “biggest enemies”.

The disgruntled PPP leader, who recently went on a spree of allegations against Mr Zardari, requested the judges to inquire from the authorities as to why and how Ms Talpur, Anver Majeed and model Ayyan Ali were being provided security.

Dr Mirza expressed fear for his life stating that he had given statements against former president Zardari and MQM chief Hussain.

He submitted that the provincial government had withdrawn his and family members’ security despite the fact that there were threats to their lives.

Ms Talpur in her contempt application against Dr Mirza asked the court to “punish the petitioner by detaining him in the prison as well as imposing fine upon him for committing contempt of court by disobeying its orders”.

Dr Mirza was directed to file his reply on the contempt application by May 29.

On Friday last, Dr Mirza reached an antiterrorism court at around 11am and confined himself inside the courtroom for over eight hours as extraordinary security arrangements were made with hundreds of policemen surrounding the ATC, located adjacent to the SHC.

Apprehending his arrest, Dr Mirza’s counsel immediately filed a fresh petition in the SHC in the late afternoon against the provincial authorities for making arrangements and attempts to arrest him.

An SHC bench restrained the authorities from arresting the former home minister, whose pre-arrest bail was also extended by an ATC till May 30.

Later at around 7pm, Dr Mirza left the ATC after the home secretary withdrew the police force from the court premises on the SHC orders.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2015

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