PESHAWAR, Nov 18 The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday summoned Peshawar city police chief in a habeas corpus petition challenging the alleged illegal detention of three persons including a cook of the Speaker's House for the last over two months.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel directed the NWFP additional advocate general, Ishtiaq Ibrahim, to inform the police chief, Liaqat Ali, to appear in person on Thursday.

The bench was hearing the petition filed by Zaffar Gul, father of one of the detainee, Tariq Khan, who was a cook at the Speaker's House in Peshawar. The other two detainees -- Ismail and Bilal -- are his relatives.

The petitioner claimed that his son was picked from the Speaker's House by a police team headed by the outgoing police chief, Safwat Ghayur, and the newly posted chief, Liaqat Ali, on Sept 3, 2009, during the month of Ramazan. Later on, the other two detained persons were also taken into custody by the police from their residences.

Advocate Usman Khan Turlandi appeared for the petitioner.