PESHAWAR, Dec 1: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan on Friday issued bailable arrest warrant for the mother of a minor girl allegedly molested by her stepfather.

The chief justice issued the orders after Ms Farkhanda, the girl’s mother, failed to turn up in a suo motu human rights case. The court fixed Dec 11 for the next hearing.

The brother of the girl, who was summoned during last hearing, also could not appear before the court.

An official of the Mughalpura police station in Lahore appeared before the court and stated that they had checked for Mr Imran, the minor girl’s brother, on the last known address in Lahore but he had not been residing there for some time. He added that they would try to locate him if they were given his correct address.

The chief justice had taken suo motu notice of the matter during the hearing of the bail petition of the accused, Sayatullah Khan, which was dismissed on Nov 20.

During the last hearing, the girl’s mother had appeared before the court and claimed that despite having had three children from the accused, she was willing to leave the accused if the abuse victim was given in her custody.

The girl, who is about 11 or 12, is now living in a government-run women crisis centre.

The chief justice had ordered that the brother, Imran, who resides in Lahore, should appear before the court after which it would be decided where the girl should reside.

A former vice-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Ms Mussarat Hillali appeared on court notice while deputy advocate-general Sardar Ali Raza appeared for the provincial government.

The FIR of the case was registered on July 14, at police station Sheikh Maltoon in Mardan. The victim had gone to the police station along with a neighbour and narrated her ordeal to the police who registered the case.

The girl's mother was a divorcee before marrying the accused.