The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday granted protective bail to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Abdul Qadir Patel, barring police from arresting him, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A two-member IHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, heard the plea of the PPP lawmaker against his arrest warrants by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi and granted him protective bail with orders to appear in the court concerned on April 13.

Earlier, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi had issued arrest warrants of Abdul Qadir Patel for not appearing before the court on March 26 last in the case of providing medical treatment to terrorists.

Patel had approached the IHC against his arrest warrants, and he had pleaded with the court to grant him protective bail.

In his plea submitted to the IHC, Patel had maintained that he was bound to appear before the anti-terrorism court in Karachi on March 26 last, but, he could not do so because he was in Islamabad to attend the National Assembly session.

He had feared arrest over non-appearance before the court and demanded that the IHC grant him protective bail which the latter approved.

Reporter: Ehtisham Kiyani