A court in Pakistan has ordered the military government to explain why it is holding one of the country's top doctors, apparently on suspicion of links with the Taleban.

He was detained in the light of information given by some members of al-Qaeda who were being questioned

Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider

Dr Amir Aziz, a prominent orthopaedic surgeon, was detained a fortnight ago by intelligence officials.

The High Court in the eastern city of Lahore heard a petition from his mother, challenging his detention and seeking to fight any attempt to extradite him to the United States.

The hearing will resume on Friday, when government lawyers will have to provide "all information regarding the detainee", Judge Tassaduq Hussain Jilani said.

He said Dr Aziz was a Pakistani who deserved "constitutional protection".

'No extradition request'

Dr Aziz visited Afghanistan during the Taleban rule.

But his family say he went to rebuild a medical college and had no links with the Taleban themselves.

Earlier this week, Pakistan's Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said no request for the doctor's extradition had been received from the US.

"He was detained in the light of information given by some members of al-Qaeda who were being questioned," he said.

Under Pakistani law, a detainee can be held for three months without being formally charged.

Doctors' trade unions and several religious and political parties in Pakistan have also called for Dr Aziz's release.