09 June 2004	Wednesday	20 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

PESHAWAR, June 8: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday disposed of a habeas corpus petition challenging detention of an Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai and his driver Mohammad Saleem.

The bench comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Ijaz Afzal observed that the detainees have now been released, therefore the petition has become infructuous. The petition was filed by Mr Abdullah, a cousin of Mr Yousafzai, a newspaperman.

He had claimed that the detainees had gone missing on April 21 and through news reports they came to know that they were stopped at a military checkpoint near Bannu along with an American freelance journalist Eliza Griswold.

The American journalist was set free the same day, where as the detainees remained in custody of the intelligence agencies and were finally shifted to Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan.

At the very outset of the proceedings on Tuesdaythe petitionerscounsel, Kamran Arif, informed the benchthe detainees have been released by inNorth Waziristan. He added that with the release of the detainees there is no need of further proceeding with the present petition.