PESHAWAR, Sept 21: The court of additional district and sessions judge granted bail to an applicant accused of propagating Ahmadi faith through distribution of pamphlets.

The presiding officer, Khwaja Wajihuddin, observed that prima facie there was no evidence which could connect the accused-applicant, Waris Khan, with the commission of the offence.

The court observed that there was also no evidence which could suggest that the applicant was outraging the religious sentiments of the complainant or the controversial pamphlets were distributed by him.

The court directed the applicant to furnish two sureties of Rs100,000 each. The complainant in the case is Maulana Noorul Haq Noor, provincial chief of Tehrik-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat.

The accused-applicant was charged under sections 295-A and 298-C of Pakistan Penal Code — the provisions which deal with outraging religious feelings of a person and preaching of his faith by member of a Qadiani or Ahmadi community.

The complainant has claimed that the accused-applicant, hailing from Katchi Mala area in the interior of the city, was distributing pamphlets about Ahmadi faith. He alleged the act of the applicant had hurt religious sentiments of a large number of area people.

He had lodged a complaint with the Hasthnagri police station on July 23. The police registered an FIR on August 8 after receiving legal opinion from prosecution branch.

Advocates Abdul Basit and Mian Hissamuddin appeared for the applicant and contended the case was fabricated and based on malicious intentions.

They argued that there was no proof against the applicant which could suggest that he was distributing the said pamphlets. They contended that nowhere the complainant had provided any evidence about propagating anything against Islam.

They cited various judgments of the superior courts in support of their contention and stated that superior courts had extended facility of bail in such like cases.

Advocate Samad Khan appeared for the complainant and contended that it was an act of terrorism and the accused was not entitled to bail. He added that the controversial pamphlets were aimed at outraging religious sentiments of the complainant and other members of the society.