KARACHI, Aug 31: A division bench of High Court of Sindh, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery, on Tuesday dismissed as withdrawn a constitutional petition challenging illegal detention of a former president of the SSP Hafiz Ahmed Bux , who was released after acquittal in a number of sectarian terrorism cases.

When the petition came up for hearing, Maqbool-ur-Rahman, advocate, counsel for petitioner Qari Mohammad Siddique, informed the court that the detainee had been released previous night and had reached his home. He requested the court to allow him to withdraw the petition. The bench dismissed the petition as withdrawn.

The same bench deferred another connected matter pertaining to illegal detention of Mansoor Ali Babar, another activist of the SSP. AAG Sawar Khan submitted a notification before the bench, stating that the accused has been released on Tuesday.

Rabia Begum, mother of the detainee, denied that his son has reached home. The bench asked the AAG to confirm the factum of release of the detainee and put off hearing till Wednesday, directing the AAG to make a definite statement. -APP