PESHAWAR, Jan 24: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday ordered release of a prisoner who had completed his term. A bench comprising Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan and Justice Raj Mohammad Khan summoned the superintendent of the Peshawar central prison and inquired from him about the detention of the convict, Bathin Khan.

The superintendent said the convict had completed his prison term.

The chief justice asked why he had been kept imprisoned and ordered that he should be released forthwith.

The court had taken suo motu notice of the issue on an application addressed to the chief justice by the prisoner during his visit to the prison when he was the acting governor of the province.

The prisoner, an inhabitant of Landi Kotal, said that about 10 years ago the local assistant political agent had summoned him to his office and arrested him on the charge of car lifting. He said he had been sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs200,000.

He said a resident of the tribal area had given him money from Zakat for depositing the fine, but when the administration came to know about it the person was forced to take back that money.