PESHAWAR: The chief justice of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday questioned on what legal grounds Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had been released by Pakistani authorities.

Chief Justice Justice Dost Mohammad Khan raised the question during proceedings of the missing persons’ case here today being heard by a two-judge bench of the PHC.

The chief justice said it appeared Baradar had been released by the government under pressure from foreign agencies.

Mullah Baradar was arrested from Karachi in February 2010 in a raid by Pakistani and US agents.

Baradar, once the number two to Taliban supremo Mullah Omar, was freed from jail in September this year as part of efforts to kick-start Afghanistan’s peace process. Afghan officials believe Baradar could encourage Taliban leaders to seek a negotiated settlement to end the 12-year insurgency in the war-torn nation.

However, the PHC chief justice said today that the president or the prime minister do not have the authority to free prisoners without due process.

Khan said that the Afghan Taliban leader should have been presented in court before his release. He moreover ordered that the court be informed under which laws Baradar was first arrested and then released by the government.

During proceedings on Thursday, Deputy Advocate General Naveed Akhtar representing the provincial government submitted a list of 50 missing persons in the court.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned to December 10.