HYDERABAD, Aug 31: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Wednesday granted pre-arrest protective bail to eight PPP supporters and activists of Thatta in an attempted murder case against sureties of Rs50,000 each till Sept 12.

The applicants were represented by Noorul Haq Qureshi advocate. They included Mir Hassan, Abdullah, Shah Mohammad, Dr Aftab, Ameen, Dr Abdul Wahab, Qasim and Ali Ahmed.

The attempted murder case was lodged against them at Keenjhar police station in the wake of a firing incident on polling day on August 18 when local body elections were held in Thatta in first phase.

The case was lodged under sections 324 Qisas and Diyat, 147, 148, 149, 427 PPC vide crime no 22/05. The defence counsel argued that before registration of this case the applicants had got an FIR registered vide crime no 21/05 under orders of District and Sessions Judge, Thatta, against assailants including one Munawar who had fired on the applicants in village Ali Bahar within the jurisdiction of Keenjhar police station. The counsel said that no arrests were made in respect of FIR 21/05 in which 10 persons were nominated accused. However, he said, police were chasing the applicants in the light of registration of case vide crime no 22/05. He added that presently the accused of FIR no 21/05 was present with police outside high court.

He said that police were waiting to apprehend the applicants.

He stated that police were preventing applicants from reaching sessions court to seek pre-arrest bail that’s why high court was moved. He added that following the incident on August 18 the applicants’ FIR was not lodged as the police were under influence of Shirazis.