ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notices to the federal government and the director-general of the ISI to explain why Sarwar Bhatti, a resident of Jhanda Chichi , where President Gen Musharraf's motorcade was attacked in December, was being kept in custody.

Sadia Sarwar Bhatti, in her petition through Chaudhry Mohammad Ikram, advocate, stated that her husband had been forcibly taken away on Dec 23, from the mosque near their house by two ISI officers.

The petitioner apprehended that her husband was in illegal detention at the ISI headquarters in Islamabad and was being tortured by ISI and other agencies. She prayed the court to declare the detention of her husband illegal, and order his production in the court besides requesting the court to restrain the government from removing the detainee from the court's territorial jurisdiction or from handing over to FBI or any other agency till the final decision by the court.

Justice Mansoor Ahmad, after hearing the counsel, issued a notice to the federal government, and the director-general of the ISI besides fixing the next hearing on Feb 25.