ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The federal government informed the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, on Monday that it had taken into custody a British national, Tariq Mahmood, on the suspicions of having links with the banned organisation, Al Qaeda.

Tariq Mahmood holds dual nationality and was arrested on Oct 4. Iftikhar Ahmad, a resident of Dina, Jhelum district, filed a petition in the Rawalpindi Bench of the LHC, saying that his nephew was missing from Oct 4.

When the case was taken up on Monday, Deputy Attorney-General Sultan Mansoor, informed the court, comprising Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan, that Tariq Mahmood was in government custody. The counsel said he would be in a position to give more details about the detenu after two days.

The court adjourned the case till Friday.

The petitioner said his nephew, a British national holding passport No. 085092455, was living with him in July 2001. All his family members, including his father, were settled in the United Kingdom.

On Oct 4, Tariq Mahmood received a phone call from one of his friends from the UK who had come to Islamabad/Rawalpindi. He was informed that his family had sent some utility items for him.

He left the petitioner’s house to collect the utility items from his friend but did not return home.

The petitioner said he and his relatives had been searching for him but to no avail. On Oct 31, they read in newspapers that Tariq Mahmood had been detained by some government agency.

The petitioner has attached the copy of the news item by an American news agency circulated from Pakistan on Oct 30. The news agency has quoted a Pakistan army officer, working as head of crisis management cell in the federal interior ministry Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema, as saying that the suspect was arrested couple of days ago in Rawalpindi.

The petitioner has impleaded the Federation of Pakistan, ISI director-general, IB DG, FIA DG and Islamabad SSP, as party.

Abdur Rehman Siddiqui, counsel for the petitioner, raised the question whether a person like Tariq Mahmood, who hails from a family having its origin in Pakistan and presently holding British nationality, was not entitled to the same protection of law as provided to the citizens of Pakistan.