PESHAWAR, Feb 3: A habeas corpus petition challenging alleged illegal detention of a person by an intelligence agency was disposed of by the Peshawar High Court on Thursday after the detainee was released from captivity.

The detainee, Liaquat Ali, was allegedly arrested by the local police on Nov 29, 2004 from Kohati area and since then his whereabouts were not known. Ms Fatima, mother of the detainee, had filed a petition, requesting the court to order production of his son before the court and to set him at liberty.

The petitioner's counsel, Khursheed Ahmad Shahan, informed a two-member bench comprising the high court Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Ijaz Afzal that the detainee had returned back home few days ago. He contended that after return of the detainee the petition had become infractuous.

The detainee, suspected to be a member of proscribed Sipah-i- Sahaba, was allegedly in custody of an intelligence agency for two months. In another habeas corpus petition, challenging alleged detention of two brothers by an intelligence agency for the last eight months, the high court sought comments from the ministry of interior within three days.

The same bench fixed Feb 10 for next hearing and directed the deputy attorney general, Salahuddin Khan, to file the comments positively. The petition is filed by Haji Enayat, father of the two detainees, Abdul Basit and Abdul Aziz.

The detainees were picked up from Dalazak Road here in May 2004. They are suspected of having links with Al Qaeda. The petition has been lingering on for the last many months as the Ministry of Interior has not been filing comments despite repeated notices. Salahuddin Khan informed the court on Thursday that he has yet not received any comments.