PESHAWAR, Dec 6: An 80-year-old Palestinian prisoner, who had 'disappeared' from his hospital's room on Monday, was re-arrested at Pishtakhara in the evening.
Yousaf bin Yousaf was taken to the Bolten block of the Lady Reading Hospital from the central prison on the directives of a two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court last week.
Senior Superintendent of Police Abid Ali told Dawn that Mr Yousaf was re-arrested when he was crossing Ring Road on the outskirts of the city. "Mr Yousaf is in a police custody," the SSP confirmed. He said the prisoner was mentally deranged. He ruled out the involvement of any group in Yousaf's brief disappearance and said he might have wandered out of his room.
Meanwhile, five police personnel, who were on duty when the prisoner went out of the hospital, were arrested and suspended after an FIR was registered at the concerned Kabuli police station. They were identified as guard commander Umer Zameen, head constable Naeem, and constables Fazal Hassan, Pir Muhammad and Zubair Khan.
Mr Yousaf, grandson of Palestine's late grand cleric Aminul Hussaini, was arrested on April 21, 2001, under the Foreign Act and Frontier Crimes Regulation on a charge of illegal stay in Pakistan.
He has completed his prison term. Last year, a writ petition was filed for deportation of Mr Yousaf and 10 other foreigners, mostly Arabs, by former MNA Jawed Ibraheem Paracha.
In December last year, the high court disposed of the writ petition after the government assured that they would be deported. Only six of the detainees were deported, leading Mr Paracha to file a contempt of court petition which is pending decision.
About four months back, Mr Yousaf was shifted to Peshawar from Adiala Prison. 'Technicalities' are said to be involved because of which he has not been deported to his country.
