- CJP says father is natural guide, mother’s love right of every child
- Lithuanian national thanks top court
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) on Monday helped a Lithuanian mother meet her children seven years after her Pakistani ex-husband allegedly took away their three daughters.
The decision was taken by a three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, comprising Justice Umar Atta Bandiyal and Justice Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, during the hearing of a petition filed by the Lithuanian woman, Maimouna.
The petition seeks the recovery of her daughters Ayesha, Maryam, and Amna from the alleged illegal custody of her ex-husband Jamshid Siddique.
During the hearing when the CJP asked the children if they had met their mother, one of the daughters Maryam replied that she did not know who Maimouna was.
When the bench directed court officials to arrange a meeting between the children and their mother, Maryam said she wanted her father to be present at the meeting, to which CJP responded that the father had poisoned the children’s minds.
“Why a fraud case should not be registered against the former husband,” he asked, adding, “We have no sympathy with the one who runs away with his children. No meeting was arranged between the mother and her daughters since the last seven years.”
Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan said that the decision of the Dubai court had also come against the former husband.
After an interval, the court resumed the proceedings. The CJP inquired about the meeting between the mother and her daughters.
The counsel, while seeking more time, said that the girls were not identifying their mother.
The CJP remarked, “Father is a natural guide and mother’s love is the right of her daughters. It is sad that the daughters are not identifying their mother after a separation of 7 years.”
The court, while ordering for giving the custody of girls to their mother, said that passport of the mother and her daughters should be deposited in the HR cell of the top court. Siddique was ordered to make the necessary arrangements for the residence of Memoona so that she could live with her daughters. The responsibility of security will rest with Gujranwala DPO.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case for two weeks.
The Lithuanian woman, while talking to journalists outside the court, thanked the CJP saying, “I am very happy today. I will spend time with my daughters.”
THE PETITION:
Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to Jamshed Siddiqui, a resident of Gujranwala, in a plea moved by Maimouna Liskauskaite, a Lithuanian national seeking custody of her three children.
The chief justice also directed the Gujranwala DPO to make sure effective services of the notice and produce the minors, namely, Maryam Siddique, Ayesha Siddique and Amna Siddique aged 13, 11 and 9 respectively before this court on April 2.
Maimouna Liskauskaite, currently residing in Dubai, UAE, and now on a visit to Pakistan, filed a petition seeking recovery of her daughters, from the alleged improper custody of her former husband Jamshed Siddiqui. On Friday, outside the Supreme Court, the lady while holding pictures of her three daughters requested the chief justice office to take notice of the alleged illegal custody of her daughters.
The chief justice summoned her through counsel in his chamber after office hours and directed the office to register the case and fix it before him and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan in the chamber. The counsel pleaded before the bench that her client was previously a follower of Christian faith, embraced Islam on January 7, 2004, out of her own free will and contracted marriage with respondent Jamshed Siddiqui in accordance with the Islamic rites.
The marriage between the parties was solemnised in Lithuania City; that out of said wedlock, three minor daughters were born; that on December 19, 2010, the petitioner and her husband along with their minor daughters settled in Dubai, the counsel added.
The counsel alleged that on April 4, 2011, Jamshed Siddiqui along with minors came to Pakistan without knowledge of the petitioner and left her alone in Dubai. That on April 7, 2011, Jamshed divorced her and forcibly removed the minors from her lawful custody and that according to law, she was entitled to custody of her minor daughters.