Outlaws and in-laws: Mother gets custody of four kids

In-laws had been trying to get her to sign over her children’s inheritance to them after her husband’s death.

FAISALABAD:

A local court delivered four minors into the custody of their mother after she was turned out of her house by her in-laws on Wednesday.

According to court officials, Additional Sessions Judge Abdur Rehman Bodla delivered the four children to their mother in court after they were being forcefully detained by her in-laws.

The court took action following a petition recently filed by Awan Muslim Mureedke resident Kubra Bibi. Kubra told police officials and the court that she had married Chak No 20JB resident Manzoor Shah nine years ago. “He abused me but his family treated me even worse. They were trying to get me to give up my children’s property shares after my husband died three months ago,” she told reporters.

Kubra told the court that she had four children, Amina, 7, Ali Haider,5, Reeba,3, and Iman Fatima, 1. “My in-laws turned me out of our house and wouldn’t let me see my children. They kept insisting I sign away their inheritance to them or I would never see them again,” she said.

Kubra said that her father-in-law Syed Zahoor Shah and his brother Syed Zafar Shah had taken her children from her in the middle of the night and would not tell her where they were. “They then locked me in a room and beat me and starved me for days. They wouldn’t tell me if my children were safe,” she told the court. “A week later they turned me out of my house and kept my children to ensure my cooperation. They said that I was to sign over all the property to them but I approached the police,” she said.

Kubra said that the police initially refused to file her petition and she had to approach the court. The court ordered that Station House Officer (SHO) Sahianwala produce the children before the court, along with the accused.

After hearing the petition, the court observed that under the law it was the right of the mother to retain custody of her children following her husband’s passing. “This woman is corrupt. That is why I took my grand children. I wanted to keep them safe from her,” said Kubra’s father-in-law Zahoor Shah.

“The family has tried to level several charges against Kubra’s character to prevent her from getting custody of the children but none of these have been proven.

What they really want is the property,” said advocate Qazim Rasheed.

The court, accepting the plea of the petitioner, ordered that the children be delivered to Kubra Bibi. The court also ordered for registration of a case against the accused over unlawfully keeping the children in their custody and for torturing Kubra.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2011.