PESHAWAR, Jan 9: A division bench of the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the NWFP advocate-general in a writ petition challenging the detention of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The bench comprising Justice Tallat Qayyum Qureshi and Justice Qazi Ahsanullah Qureshi fixed 16th for next hearing.

Advocate Issa Khan appeared for the petitioner Sahibzada Khalid Ahmad Benori, provincial deputy chief of the JUI and argued that the detention of Maulana Fazl was based on flimsy grounds.

Maulana Fazl has been in detention since Oct 6, 2001 under the Maintenance of Public order Ordinance and has presently been detained at Chashma rest house, D. I. Khan.

The counsel stated that the MPO could not be applied in such an arbitrary manner as there were no concrete charges against the detenu.

The petitioner has prayed the court to declare the detention order as illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and set the detenu at liberty.