HYDERABAD, March 13: The fourth additional district judge has granted bail to Chairman Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Bashir Khan Qureshi and Vice Chairman, Dr.Niaz Kalani in an arson case of B-section police station against a sum of Rs50,000 each.

Aslam Pervez, advocate, of the Legal Aid Committee of the Muttaheda Qaumi Movement represented the applicants.

The case was lodged on June 13, 2001 after JSQM-MQM had given a joint strike call to protest against water shortage in Sindh.

The police registered two cases vide crime Nos 44 and 45 against the MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, Convener MQM Co-ordination Committee, Dr Imran Farooq, former senators, Nasreen Jaleel and Aftab Sheikh, former MPA Salahuddin, Bashir Khan Qureshi, Dr Niaz Kalani, Sharif and other activists of the MQM and JSQM.

The counsel argued that mere presumption could not be made basis for involvement of his clients in the present case as there was no evidence against them in the cases.