KARACHI: The Sindh High Court granted on Tuesday interim pre-arrest bail to a provincial minister in a corruption inquiry and put the respondents on notice for July 3.

Sindh Minister for Population Welfare Syed Ali Mardan Shah is facing an inquiry by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for alleged misuse of powers and embezzlement of public funds.

The investigating and prosecuting agency in its executive board meeting last week decided to authorise corruption inquires against the minister and some others leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party, including former Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani and former Sindh education ministerPir Mazharul Haq.

The minister through his counsel petitioned the SHC against his possible arrest and submitted that NAB investigators were harassing him.

The lawyer contended that being an incumbent provincial minister his client had complete immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution and was not answerable to any court.

While naming NAB and the federation as respondents, the counsel maintained that NAB had no power to initiate an inquiry or file a reference against a minister.

A two-member bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Sadiq Hussain Bhatti, granted an interim bail to the petitioner against a surety bond of Rs500,000 till July 3 and issued notices to the respondents with the direction that they file their replies till next hearing.