PESHAWAR, Feb 1: The Frontier Region (FR), Kohat, authorities are holding three persons for allegedly recovering an official car of the Afghanistan Chief Justice Fazal Hadi Shinwari, said his son Khalilur Rehman, claiming to have been held in the same case, and released last week.

Talking to Dawn here on Saturday, Mr Rehman demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident, saying the issue would be taken up with the Pakistani authorities at the diplomatic level.

“We have also informed the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, Afghan consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan’s defence ministry, the NWFP governor, chief secretary and home secretary about the incident,” said Mr Rehman, alleging that they have been tortured during custody.

A number of letters addressed to the provincial government functionaries, copies of which were made available to Dawn, have also called for the release of the detained persons.

Relating his ordeal Mr Rehman said that he was going in his father’s official car (AF-1165) with a friend, Tariq Mehmood, a school teacher, in Darra Adamkhel last week when they were stopped and arrested and their car impounded at the Akhorwal checkpoint by the Khasadar force headed by the district coordination officer, Kohat, and the assistant political agent, Darra Adamkhel.

He said that he was put in the Akhorwal lockup and Tariq was sent to Kohat jail.

Explaining the reason for his Pakistan visit Mr Rehman said he was here to attend the marriage of a friend at the Pirwalkhel village in Darra Adamkhel where his family had lived for about 30 years.

His father served as Khateeb and prayer-leader in the Darul Uloom, Akhorwal, before moving to Afghanistan, where was now chief justice.

He said that on the evening of their arrest Tariq’s brothers — Saeed and Khalid, both schoolteachers, came to the Kohat jail with some food and blankets. They too were put behind bars for allegedly trying to sneak into the jail.

Later, Tariq was allowed to go with the car, but his brothers were not, he added.

“After his release, Tariq telephoned my elder brother Attaur Rehman in Afghanistan and informed him about their ordeal,” Mr Rehman said, adding, “but my brother asked him to take back the car to the authorities and try to secure the release of his brothers.” Tariq did exactly that, and was once gain arrested and the car impounded; this time for allegedly scaling the jail wall.

“The three brothers have been charged with various crimes and their case handed over to the home secretary,” he claimed.

“I was freed after 24 hours after local elders vouched for me. But Tariq and his two brothers are still in jail,” Rehman said.