PESHAWAR, Aug 12: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday put on notice the federal interior secretary, NWFP provincial police officer and other respondents in a habeas corpus petition challenging alleged illegal detention of two persons by an intelligence agency for the last five months.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik and Justice Syed Mussadiq Hussain Gillani directed that the respondents should file written comments in reply to the habeas corpus petition jointly filed by Ms Gul Meena and Ms Rehmat Bibi.The petitioner, Ms Gul Meena, has challenged the alleged detention of her son, Muhammad Sharif, whereas Ms Rehmat has challenged the detention of her nephew, Raj Wali.

The petitioners alleged that on March 12 the officials of Kohat police had picked both the detainees. They stated that later on the police expressed ignorant about the detainees.

The petitioner claimed that they came through their own sources that the detainees were handed over to an intelligence agency. They added that they had been searching for the detainees but despite passage of five months they had yet to be informed regarding their whereabouts.

The petitioners stated that the detainees were never charged in any illegal activity and they were innocent.

Advocate Mushtaq Ahmad appeared for the petitioners and contended that the detention of the two detainees without production before any court of law was illegal and unconstitutional. He added that under the constitution a person had to be produced within 24 hours of his or her arrest before the concerned court, but in present case none of the detainees were produced before the court.

The respondents in the petition are the federal interior secretary, NWFP provincial police officer, director Federal Investigation Agency, DSP crimes circle and others.