PESHAWAR, May 12: The Peshawar High Court on Friday summoned a girl and her father in a habeas corpus petition filed by a man claiming to be her husband and alleging that she had been kept in wrongful confinement by her parents.

The petitioner, Sajid Khan, claimed that he and Ms Naveeda, both students in local colleges, had got married of their own free will last year but her parents had been forcing her to disown the marriage.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaim Jan Khan and Justice Ijaz Afzal ordered that on the next date the girl and her father, Humayun Khan, should appear in court to clarify the situation.

Advocate Ijaz Khan appeared for the petitioner and contended that both the petitioner and the girl were adults and they had the legal right to marry a person of their choice. He added that they had contracted Nikaah on June 1, 2005 about which their families were not aware. The girl continued to live with her parents and used to attend college regularly.

The petitioner alleged that when her parents came to know about the marriage they locked her in a bathroom and constantly tortured her.

The counsel contended that if the girl appeared before the court she would herself narrate the whole story. He contended that the court may issue directives for her production so as to clarify the situation.

Earlier, the petitioner had filed a habeas corpus application before the district and sessions judge under section 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The judge, Shahjehan Khan Akhundzada, summoned the boy’s father. His father stated that his son was already married and was about to become a father.