TOBA TEK SINGH, Nov 29: District Naib Nazim Chaudhry Khalid Sardar did not appear in Faisalabad sessions court to avail interim bail in a murder case after Toba Tek Singh district and sessions judge granted him protective bail for two hours against Rs5 million surety bonds furnished by a former district nazim on Saturday.

He was arrested by Pirmahal police on Thursday night on charges of harbouring four proclaimed offenders (POs) wanted by Nishatabad and Chak Jhumra police of Faisalabasd district in terrorism, murder and dacoity cases.

On Friday, Sardar filed a bail application before Kamalia judicial magistrate Waseem Anjum who ordered his release. In the meantime, the Chak Jhumra police informed the court that Sardar was also wanted in a murder case registered with them on Nov 11.

They requested the court to hand over Sardar’s custody to them to take him to Chak Jhumra for interrogation.

However, the magistrate gave Sardar into Pirmahal police custody, ordering them to produce him on Saturday before district and sessions judge Jalaluddin Akbar, who was authorised sanctioning transition remand of the accused from one district to another.

When the Pirmahal police produced Sardar before the sessions judge on Saturday, his lawyers filed a bail petition in the murder case registered with Chak Jhumra police and took the plea that their client was in England when the alleged incident had taken place.

Former district nazim and PML-Q leader Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq also appeared before the court and requested the court to grant Sardar bail against his surety.

The court released Sardar on protective bail for two hours subject to furnishing Rs5 million bail bonds and ordered him to appear before Faisalabad district and sessions judge to avail interim bail.

The officials of Chak Jhumra police reached Faisalabad sessions court but Sardar did not turn up there within stipulated time.

When contacted, a Chak Jhumra police official told Dawn that they would move the Toba Tek Singh sessions court on Monday to take action against Sardar and his surety for flouting court orders.

The Nishatabad police had raided on Thursday night Sardar's house in Farooq Colony, Pirmahal, to arrest four POs, including Sajid Ameen Pappu, Ghulam Abbas, alias kaloo Shah, Eidoo Faqeer and Ijaz, alias Kaka.

When the police were about to overpower the POs, Sardar engaged policemen in negotiations to help the outlaws flee from the backdoor of the house on which he was arrested on charges of harbouring POs and possessing liquor.