KARACHI Sindh High Court on Thursday granted pre-arrest bail till January 19 to Muhammad Bakhsh Abbasi, Pakistani Ambassador to Iran, in two NAB references, in the sum of Rs0.25m in each reference. Allowing interim bail, the bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Munib Akhtar issued notice to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Sindh and secretary of federal law ministry to seek their comments. MB Abbasi was accused of giving loans to favourite companies, violating rules as Chairman of the National Development Finance Corporation (NDFC) in 1990s. Former deputy attorney general Aamir Raza Naqvi who represented the petitioner argued that his client, currently serving in Iran as ambassador, wants to return to Pakistan to plead his defence but he feared that he might be arrested. The counsel requested the court to grant him interim bail. The court, after hearing his arguments, granted interim bail, directing the government and NAB officials to not arrest MB Abbasi on his return to Pakistan. Abbasi has moved a constitutional petition, seeking pre-arrest bail in NAB case, re-opened against him in Accountability Court in Karachi. Abbasi, ex-executive of NDFC, along with others, has been charged with granting financial facilities illegally. The petitioner submitted that he had been victimised on political grounds which is evident from the very fact that he was arrested on November 16, 1996, and given in custody to police and was served detention order under Section 3(1) of Sindh Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 1996. Earlier, he had filed a petition, seeking regular hearing of the courts proceedings and production of the materials in support of the grounds of his detention. The court had admitted the petition but the respondent had withdrawn the MPO proceedings against him. Later, he was picked up from Karachi Central Jail by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), showing his arrest in the FIR registered under Section 409/34 PPC read with section 5(2) of act II of 1947. Meanwhile, the case in respect of FIR No 40/97, PS CBC Karachi which had been pending before the Special Court (offences in respect of bank) Sindh Karachi was transferred to the NAB Karachi. When on October 5, 2007 National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was promulgated, his case which was pending before Accountability Court No 4, Karachi as reference No 27/2003 stood withdrawn and thus proceedings were terminated and withdrawn in the context of Section 7 of NRO 2007 as such an application was moved before the said court. The petitioner submitted that he wants to surrender and face the trial before the accountability court but he apprehends that on reaching Pakistan he could be arrested at any time, therefore, he has no other remedy except to approach the court for protection and plead for grant of pre-arrest bail in the reference.