PESHAWAR, Sept 2: Son of a local trader has accused the political administration of detaining his father under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) to pressurize him to withdraw a suit of damages against an assistant police agent.

Speaking at a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, Asif Habib, said the his father and owner of Al-Habib Enterprises, Haji Habib, was arrested by Assistant Political Agent (APA) of Frontier Region Kohat, Mr Zahir Shah, on May 29 this year and kept him in detention for 16 days under 14 FCR.

After the release, Haji Habib filed a suit for damages in the Peshawar High Court against APA Zahir Shah for keeping him in jail for 16 days, Mr Asif said. Haji Habib was arrested on the complaint of his paternal uncle, Abdul Hanan, a resident of Bara in Khyber Agency, as he had established a dispute over a peace of land with his father, Mr Asif claimed.

"Our family shifted from Bara to Matani in the settled area after the dispute. But the area police arrested Haji Habib without showing warrant on Aug 16 and handed him over to the political administration of Frontier Region Kohat," Mr Asif alleged.

Haji Habib was arrested for the second time as he refused to withdraw the suit against APA Zahir Shah, he said. He said that Haji Asif was a patient of high blood-pressure and also diabetic. He appealed to the authorities to release Haji Asif immediately.