PESHAWAR, Jan 8: A single bench of the Peshawar High Court granted on Thursday bail to a person accused of attempting to sexually abuse a minor boy. The bench comprising Justice Dost Mohammad Khan directed that the accused-petitioner should be released after furnishing two sureties of Rs100,000 each.

The bench observed that there was no credibility of police investigation. The bench further observed that although there were positive aspects of the police force also, like they served during night when people were sleeping, but at the same time there were certain negative things about the police.

The judge added that often through faulty investigation innocent people were implicated whereas criminals were spared. The accused-petitioner, Zakirullah, was charged by a boy in an First Inromation Report registered at police station Balambat, Dir, on June 22, 2003. The accused was charged under section 12 of the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979.

The complainant claimed that the accused asked him to accompany him on his motorcycle and he would take him to a Tableeghi Markaz where his father would be waiting for him. He said on the way the accused stopped the motorcycle at a deserted place and tried to assault him.

He claimed that he started shouting and managed to escape from the scene. Advocate Said Rehman Khan, appearing for the accused, argued that the police had mentioned wrong section of law in the FIR. He added that the attempted assault did not fall under section 12 of the ordinance.

He contended that the alleged incident had occurred on June 20, whereas the FIR was registered with a delay of two days. The applicant was earlier granted bail by the Ilaqa Qazi (judicial magistrate), Dir, but the Dir Zila Qazi (district and sessions judges) had cancelled the bail granted to him.

BAIL IN ROBBERY CASE: A single bench of the Peshawar High Court granted on Thursday bail to a person arrested in a roadside robbery. The Peshawar High Court bench ordered that the accused should furnish two sureties each of Rs50,000.

The accused-petitioner, Azeem Khan, was arrested in connection with a robbery during which Rs90,000 were taken away at gunpoint from complainant Ghazi Khan.

The First Inromation Report of the case was registered at Kohat Cantonment police station on March 5, 2002. The complainant claimed that he was returning back home when two persons attacked him near a deserted place and snatched the money from him.

Advocate Ameen Khattak appeared before the high court for the petitioner and

contended that the complainant had identified one of the accused, Syed Raza, whereas he had not identified the petitioner in the identification parade. He added that the petitioner was falsely implicated in the case.