PESHAWAR, Oct 11: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan on Friday confirmed pre-arrest bail of Awami National Party (ANP) MNA Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and his nephew, Haroon Bilour, in a case on the by-election violence.

The Gulbahar police station in Peshawar has registered an FIR against Ghulam Bilour, Haroon Bilour and several ANP activists for violence at a polling station in Sheikh-abad area during the Aug 22 by-election for NA-1, Peshawar seat.

The case was registered under Section 7 of ATA, and sections 148, 149, 171-F, 171-J, 506, 186 and 337 of Pakistan Penal Code.

Most of these sections are related to rioting, arranging unlawful assembly, impersonation during polls and obstructing public servant from performing duty. Later on, the high court ordered removal of Section 7 of ATA from the FIR. That left the PPC sections only in the case.

The court had earlier granted interim pre-arrest bail to the petitioners after the incident and Saturday was fixed for confirmation of their bail.

Ishtiaq Ibrahim, lawyer for the two petitioners, said the petitioners were falsely implicated in the case, which was concocted and registered on the pressure of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leadership.

He said there was a mala fide intent on part of the city administration about the case registration as no firing or explosion had taken place at the said polling station but despite that, terrorism charges were included in the FIR.

The lawyer said Ghulam Bilour was around 75 and on the day of by-election, he remained home as he was not given clearance by the authorities for stepping out. He said he had not visited the said polling station on the day of by-election (Aug 22).

The lawyer said Haroon Bilour was a former town council nazim and had done his LLM.

He said in fact, daughter of Ghulam Bilour was manhandled at the Sheikhabad polling station, which was a stronghold of ANP following which Haroon Bilour showed up and pacified charged workers.

The lawyer said the PPC sections under which they were charged were bailable.

Nauroze Khan, lawyer for the complainant, said the accused had intentionally resorted to violence as one of them had lost in the general elections and wanted to win the electoral contest that time around.

He said the incident was seen by many people.