PESHAWAR, Dec 20: The joint director of Intelligence Bureau, Zafarullah Khan, was granted interim pre-arrest bail by an additional district and sessions judge here on Wednesday.

Judge Asim Imam directed the applicant to furnish two sureties of Rs100,000 each and fixed Jan 5 for next hearing.

Mr Khan has been charged in an FIR registered on Dec 5 at East Cant police station accusing him of illegally taking away a messenger (naib-qasid) of the bureau from the police station. The messenger was arrested on charges of planting explosives near the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

The court issued notice to the prosecution and also summoned the record of the case.

The court, after hearing both the parties on the next date, would take a decision on confirming the pre-arrest bail.

Mr Khan was earlier granted transit pre-arrest bail by an additional district and sessions judge in Swabi on Dec 7 and was directed to approach the court concerned in Peshawar within 15 days.