Islamabad, Jun 22 (IANS): A court in Pakistan Friday granted interim bail to Makhdoom Shahabuddin, the primary candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the post of prime minister, in an illegal drugs quota case.

The Peshawar High Court granted interim bail to Shahabuddin after an anti-narcotics court Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him for unauthorisedly approving a manufacturing licence for the drug ephedrine to two pharmaceuticals firms.

After Shahabuddin filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court, Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan granted him interim bail of seven days, Geo News reported.

Shahabuddin's lawyer told Dawn News that Anti-Narcotics Force personnel wanted to arrest his client at the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border to stop him from contesting the election to the prime minister's office.

Shahbuddin said the arrest warrant would not have been issued had he not been nominated by his party.

He said a case had been filed against him last year but the arrest warrant was issued only on Thursday, the same day his candidature was announced.