PESHAWAR, June 28: Jamil Afridi, brother of convicted Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, on Thursday moved Peshawar High Court against ban on meeting of family members with him in Peshawar Central Prison.

In this regard, he filed a writ petition with the high court under Article 199 of the Constitution. The petition was filed through advocate Samiullah Afridi, requesting the court to allow close family members to meet Dr Afridi in prison.

The convicted doctor, suspected of helping the American CIA in tracing Osama bin Laden, is undergoing 33-year imprisonment awarded to him on May 23 by assistant political agent of Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on the charges of having links with a banned militant outfit Lashkar-i-Islam.

The appeal against his conviction has been pending before the court of commissioner FCR (Frontier Crimes Regulation).

Dr Afridi has now been detained in solitary confinement, mainly due to security concerns.

Mr Jamil stated in his petition that he had met his brother in the prison on June 4, but since then the prison authorities were not allowing him a meeting with his brother. He said that he had also submitted an application to the provincial home secretary for allowing the meeting, but he also had not issued the required orders.

He contended that under the Prison Rules, Dr Afridi was entitled to meeting his close family members and placing any ban on his meetings was illegal and unconstitutional.