PESHAWAR, Nov 24: Peshawar district and sessions judge Hayat Ali Shah on Monday issued notices to officials of Crimes Investigation Department (CID) in a habeas corpus petition challenging detention of an Al Qaeda suspect.

The petition was filed by Ms Jehan Ara, wife of the detainee, Sajjad Hussain, stating that he had not been produced before any court of law since Nov 13.

Although the agencies concerned claimed at the time of arrest of the detainee that he was an Afghan national, his wife has claimed that he was a Pakistani and he also possessed a national identity card.

The court fixed Dec 1 for next hearing. Notices were issued to the superintendent of police (CID), Zafarullah Khan, DSP Dilawar Bangash, SHO CID police station Kokab Farooq and inspector Munawar Khan.

The court also deputed a bailiff and directed him to search the CID police station to ascertain whether the detainee was kept there or not.

Advocate Noor Alam Khan appeared for the petitioner and stated that under the law a detainee had to be produced before the court concerned within 24 hours of his arrest. He stated that the respondents had not been disclosing the whereabouts of the detainee.

The petitioner stated that officials of the CID and some other agencies raided their residence at Danishabad in the jurisdiction of University Town police station.

She stated that the raiding party was inquiring about a Libyan named Adnan who happened to be an acquaintance of her husband. She stated that her husband expressed ignorance about his residence, after which the CID officials took him away with the commitment that he would be returned back after initial interrogation.

Ms Jehan Ara stated that she had now been visiting the CID station regularly but the officials had not been informing her where her husband was.