PESHAWAR, March 17: The Supreme Court has asked the high courts and subordinate judiciary to follow a protocol signed between the judiciaries of Pakistan and UK for protecting the children of both countries from wrongful removal or retention from one country to another.

The protocol was signed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmad and the president of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales, Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, at the conclusion of a three-day  judiciary conference on child and family laws at London from Jan 15 to 17.

Following this, the registrar of the Supreme Court, M. A. Farooqi sent a letter to the chief justices of the four high courts last month, asking them to circulate the protocol among all judges of the high courts and all the district and sessions judges, who should apprise the contents of the protocol to the guardian judges within their jurisdiction.

Accordingly, the registrar of the Peshawar High Court, Saleem Khan Minakhel, has sent a letter to all district and sessions judges in the province and informed them about the said protocol.

According to the protocol both signatories have agreed that in normal circumstances the welfare of a child is best determined by the courts of the country of the child’s residence.

Under the protocol a court of the country to which a child is removed from the other country will not exercise jurisdiction over the child except it is necessary for the court to order the return of the child to the country of his normal residence.

The signatories  have recommended that  the  two governments would give urgent consideration to identifying  or establishing an administrative  service  to facilitate or oversee the resolution of child abduction cases. It was also agreed that the UK and Pakistan should each nominate a judge of the superior court to work in liaison with each other to promote the objectives of this protocol.

Bar polls: Annual elections of the Peshawar District Bar Association will be held on March 29.

According to election schedule, nomination papers could be filed up to March 19, whereas scrutiny of papers will be held on March 20, says a press release. The candidates could withdraw their nomination till March 21, while a final list of candidates will be issued on March 22.