PESHAWAR, Jan 12: The NWFP government on Tuesday expressed ignorance before the Peshawar High Court about the alleged illegal detention of three persons by intelligence agencies.

Deputy Advocate-General Ayaz Khan informed a two-member bench that neither the three detainees were in their custody nor they were arrested by any of the law enforcing agencies of the provincial government.

The bench, comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Dost Mohammad Khan, directed the Deputy Attorney-General, Salahuddin Khan, to file comments on behalf of the interior ministry in reply to two habeas corpus petitions challenging the alleged illegal detention of the three detainees.

The court fixed January 13 for the next hearing, directing the deputy attorney-general to inform the court whose custody the detainees were in. These petitions are filed by Haji Enayat, father of detainees Abdul Basit and Abdul Aziz, and Ms Fatima, mother of the third detainee, Liaqat Ali.

Abdul Basit and Abdul Aziz were allegedly picked up by officials of an intelligence agency in May last year from Dalazak Road here, while Liaqat Ali was taken into custody at Kohat Gate on November 29, 2004. Khursheed Ahmad Shahan appeared for the petitioners and contended that their continuous detention was illegal and against the constitution of Pakistan.