PESHAWAR: Three Afghans including Osama Bin LadenÂ’s former teacher and a Pakistani tribesman have challenged their detention under the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) since 2003 at the Peshawar High Court. Javed Ibrahim Paracha, chairman of the World Prisoners Relief Commission of Pakistan, filed the writ petition on behalf of the detainees, who were arrested by intelligence agencies in Bajaur in 2003 and have since been kept in Peshawar Central Prison.
The Afghan detainees are Maulana Dilbar, 104, Osama Bin LadenÂ’s teacher, Syed Amin Shah, 55, Sheikhul Hadith Maulana Inayatur Rehman and the tribesman is Ismail. Paracha told Daily Times that Dilbar was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agencies for being a teacher of Bin Laden. The Afghans had been living in the Nawagai area of Bajuar Agency for decades, he said. He said that the agencies claimed that Dibar had taught some hadith to Bin Laden in the Kunar area of Afghanistan bordering Bajuar Agency. In the petition, Parcha states that the men had been kept in illegal confinement at Peshawar Central Prison without trial or production before any court.
The petition states that the three Afghans are not Pakistani nationals and not members of the tribal society, so the provisions of the FCR are not applicable to them. “The provisions of FCR are only applicable to members of tribal society of Pakistan. The confinement of the petitioners, therefore, is illegal improper and unjust and petitioners are undergoing illegal detention,” the petition states. “It is, therefore, prayed that the arrest and detention of petitioners be declared illegal, unlawful and appropriate orders be passed for the release of petitioners.” |