QUETTA, July 5: The Balochistan High Court declined on Thursday a request by federal Minister Jam Mohammad Yousuf for exempting from appearance in a pre-bail hearing.

Advocate Mohammad Ilyas appeared on behalf of the applicant in an urgent hearing before Justice Akhtar Naeem Afghan of the court.

The applicant requested for exemption from appearance under section 540-A of CrPC for availing pre-arrest bail but the court declined the request and said the applicant was already on protective bail granted by the Sindh High Court.

The counsel requested for an opportunity to procure attendance of the applicant and to fix the application for granting pre-arrest bail on July 16. The court allowed the request.

The Quetta judicial magistrate had issued the arrest warrant of Jam Mohammad Yousuf and others in the murder case of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti had nominated Pervez Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz, Jam Yousuf, former interior minister Aftab Sherpao, former Balochistan governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and former home minister Mir Sohaib Nausherwani in the murder case in an FIR registered at the Dera Bugti police station.