ISLAMABAD, Jan 21: Six officials of Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Kahuta, some serving and others retired, who have been picked up by the government agencies for "debriefing", on Wednesday approached the court for their release from the custody of ISI.

Justice Maulvi Anwarul Haq, who took up the joint habeas corpus petition on an urgent basis, conducted the preliminary hearing the same day and issued notice to the respondents. The case will now be taken up for hearing on Friday, January 23.

Those who approached the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, on Wednesday, are Brig (retd) Sajawal Khan, retired as director general, maintenance and general services division at KRL; Naseemuddin, currently head of missile manufacturing, KRL; Mansoor Ahmad, former DG health and physics department, Kahuta; Brig (retd) Mohammad Iqbal Tajwar, former director general, security, KRL; and Dr Nazeer Ahmad, chief engineer, metallurgy department, KRL.

The petitioners, through their counsel Tariq Mehmood and Shah Khawar, contended that the entire setup of the KRL was such that they could not conceivably transfer nuclear know-how to any third party. "Such matters are beyond their individual or collective capabilities," they stated.

Dr Mohammad Shafiqur Rehman, son of Brig (retd) Sajwal Khan, said that through this petition he wanted to challenge the detention of the officials named above.

The petitioner stated that after the ignominious dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971, a vision and struggle to make Pakistan invincible began to gather momentum. "This culminated in the establishment of KRL."

He said that the six detained persons were among the founding fathers of KRL, who had dedicated their lives to making Pakistan invincible. The petitioner stated that Dr Abdul Majeed and Mansoor Ahmad were actively instrumental in the nuclear tests at Chaghai, Balochistan, on May 28 and 30, 1998.

He held that five days had elapsed since their arrest, and he apprehended that they would be handed over to the US as was done in the case of Aimal Kansi, Yousaf Ramzi, Khalid Sheikh and Mulla Zaeef.

He cited a Time magazine report in which it was stated that Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan was removed from the KRL on the US pressure. The petitioner has impleaded ISI through its DG; KRL Kahuta, through its chairman; Brig Shoaib, DG securities, KRL; Lieutenant-General Khalid Qadawai, DG Strategic Plans Division; Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, DG ISPR; Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, information minister; and Federation of Pakistan through secretary, ministry of interior as respondents.

Earlier, family members of Mohammad Farooq, the DG KRL and Major (retd) Islamul Haq, principal staff officer to Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, had also filed identical petitions which are also fixed for hearing on Friday.