PESHAWAR, Dec 13: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday set a married woman at liberty who was given in the custody of a Naib Nazim by a sessions court.

A division bench, comprising Justice Khalida Rachied and Justice Shehzad Akber Khan, accepted a writ petition filed by Ziarat Bibi and allowed her to live with the husband.

The bench, in preliminary hearing today, observed that an adult and married woman could not be given in custody against her wishes. The bench ordered the Naib Nazim to produce Ziarat before the court the same day. The woman was produced before the court in the presence of her husband and mother-in-law.

The woman told the court that she was given in the custody against her will. She said: “ I have married Sikander Khan in accordance with my free will”. Ziarat claimed that her father wanted to sell her on the pretext of marrying her to a person, whom she did not like. Therefore, she left her house and married Sikander on May 6, 2001.

The petitioner said, on the instigation of her father Liaqat Ali had lodged an FIR against the couple following which Nowshera police arrested them. An additional sessions judge allowed bail to the couple on Aug 18. However, on  Aug  24, the same court directed the police to give her in the custody of Naib Nazim, Qasim Khan.