ISLAMABAD, Sept 4: The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down an unwed mother’s request to close proceedings in her complaint against the alleged father, former naib nazim of Okara Abbas Raza Rizvi, saying she would raise the child on her own.

However, the seven-member Supreme Court Bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, reminded the young mother Mehnaz Fatima that she was living in an Islamic society and not in an Anglo-Saxon society where a single parent could raise a child.

It was necessary to determine the name of her daughter’s father for that reason, the court observed and ordered the Punjab government to get it the copy of a compromise reached between the two sides which made Mehnaz make her request.

Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi felt the compromise statement was being misused.

Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar was of the view that Mehnaz’s fears that she could be lynched like her elder sister Shahnaz Fatima for fighting the case, might be behind her request for closing the case.

Shahnaz had been demanding DNA test to establish that Abbas Raza Rizvi was the father but none was conducted despite court orders.

Shahnaz’s charge against the ex-naib nazim of Okara Abbas Raza Rizvi was that he impregnated her sister Mehnaz, when she was a high school student, promising that he would marry her later. But when a baby girl arrived as a result he reneged on the promise.

She had gone to court after the political influence of the accused frustrated her efforts to get a case registered with the police.

Her tenacity however forced Rizvi to admit before a Panchayat (council of elders) that he was the father of the baby.

He gave Rs410,000 to Mehnaz and also agreed to marry her and to provide Rs5,000 monthly for their baby’s care. But he backed out of the promise.

As the case progressed in the court, Shahnaz was murdered. A police officer who was investigating the murder was transferred in the midst of the probe.

Rizvi was also accused of making Mehnaz sign a blank paper which was later used to forge a statement in her name absolving him of any wrongdoing.

The court also sought the opinion of senior Advocate Hafeez Pirzada, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae (friend of the court). He suggested that Assistant Advocate General Punjab Khadim Hussain Qaiser be directed to make an effort to lay his hand on the terms of the agreement reached between the families of the victim and the naib nazim.

The law officer was also to get the copy of another agreement reached with the father of the unwed mother which according to her was made independent of her wishes.