October 03, 2007	Wednesday	Ramazan 20, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: Despite repeated court orders, the police have been unable to recover three Australian children of Pakistani origin, allegedly kidnapped by their father about eight months ago.

A habeas corpus petition was filed in the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, in March this year and Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha issued directives to the police for recovering the three children. But the relatives of the kidnapped children alleged that they had not yet been recovered due to the non-cooperative attitude of the police.

They also claimed that a few days ago, the children’s mother had been able to trace them in Khanewal but she could not get their custody because her husband refused to surrender them to her. She was beaten and the children were taken to some unknown location, they further informed.

An Australian citizen of Pakistani origin, Ibrar Hussain, had married Syeda Almas Shah after which they started living in Australia. Three children —Abdullah Shah (son), Mashab Shah (son) and Haniyyah Shah (daughter)— were born out of the wedlock.

After some years, the wife came to know that her husband had two other wives and had also been involved in blackmail. After this, differences developed between the couple.

Sensing separation, Hussain brought his three children to Pakistan. When Ms Shah came to know this, she followed him to Pakistan but her husband did not allow her to meet the children and hid them somewhere with his relatives. Since then, she has been trying to get custody of her children.

At first, she approached the court by filing a habeas corpus petition in the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court for her children’s recovery.

The court issued arrest warrants for the accused and directed the interior ministry to put his name, along with the three children, on the Exit Control List (ECL). This was done but despite the lapse of about eight months, the children were yet to be recovered.

At the same time, the Australian High Commission in Islamabad and the ministry of interior were requested to extend help in this regard.