LAHJORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notices to the ministries of foreign and interior in addition to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on a petition challenging the removal of a minor girl from the jurisdiction of United Kingdom’s court to Pakistan.

Pakistan origin British national Syed Mudassir Ali Shah filed the petition against his former wife for bringing their five-year-old daughter to Pakistan in alleged violation of an order of a UK court.

The petitioner submitted that he married Aasia Zahra in the UK during 2015 and a daughter was born in 2017. However, he said the marriage ended three months after the birth of their child and the matter of the minor’s custody went to a local court.

Shah said he and the mother of the child had dual nationalities while their daughter was a British national only. He said the local court in the UK had restrained both parents from removing the minor from its jurisdiction. However, he said, the mother violated the court’s order and brought the minor to Pakistan in October 2022.

The petitioner through his counsel argued that the judicial protocols signed between the UK and Pakistan required the court to send the child back to her native country.

He asked the court to order the respondent authorities to recover the minor from the custody of the mother and produce her before the court so that she could be allowed to fly back to the UK.

Justice Najafi issued notices to the respondents for submission of replies by Dec 20.

The judge also sought assistance from the federal law officer on the enforcement of the UK court’s decision on the courts in Pakistan.

Model town case: A Lahore High Court larger bench on Monday adjourned the hearing of petitions challenging the constitution of the second Joint investigation Team (JIT) by the then provincial government to hold a fresh probe into the 2014 Model Town incident.

Advocate Farhad Ali Shah, the counsel for one of the petitioners, concluded his arguments while the bench asked others to resume their arguments on Tuesday (today).

The bench is headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti with Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aalia Neelum, Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh.

Khurram Rafiq and several other police officials facing trial in the private complaint by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek had challenged the new JIT formed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led provincial government.

A three-judge bench had on March 22, 2019, suspended the new JIT.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2022