Top judge grills DIG, son-in-law

DIG Dogar had asked Rehman to ensure names of his ex-wife, children remain on ECL

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Sunday took strong exception to an attempt made by DIG Ghulam Mahmood Dogar to obtain ‘undue favour’ from his son-in-law Khalid Rehman in a child custody case and summoned Rehman to record his statement.

The Punjab DIG had sought to keep the names of his ex-Canadian wife and children on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The CJP was hearing a case filed by the DIG’s ex-wife Mirjam Aberras Lahdeaho at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry.

As the CJP had summoned his own son-in-law, he appeared before the court and contended that DIG Dogar had asked him for a favour regarding keeping his children’s names on the ECL.

The reply irked the CJP.

“How did you approach my family to obtain the favour?” CJP Nisar inquired.

The CJP asked the DIG to explain as to who had advised him to do that. “Who asked you to obtain favour from my family?” the CJP further inquired.  “How dare you think about it?”

After grilling the DIG, the CJP turned towards his son-in-law. “You are the son at home, but here you are before the chief justice,” he said.

Later, Rehman apologised in the courtroom.

He said the DIG Dogar had asked him for a favour. “He had asked me that the names of his Canadian wife and children should remain on the ECL,” Rehman said.

“I am doing Jihad here, but being asked for a favour,” the CJP remarked.

Rehman had appeared before the court with protocol. The protocol officer remained with him and was taken through the judges’ gate.

On Saturday, Finnish origin Canadian woman Lahdeaho had appeared before the CJP along with a complaint against her former husband. She had said that her name and the names of her children were on the ECL due to which she could not travel abroad.

She had requested the court to order the authorities to remove their names from the ECL. The court had summoned the DIG to explain as to why and how the names of the woman and the children were put on the ECL.

Complainant Mirjam had been fighting a legal battle for the custody of the children, including Qasim Dogar, 17, and Jaffer Dogar, 13.

She said she had embraced Islam before marrying the respondent on March 6, 1997 in Lahore and after the marriage, they along with their three children, stayed in Pakistan for over 12 years before moving to Canada as permanent residents in 2009. Zahra Dogar, 19, is their third child.

However, the respondent used to visit his family in Canada frequently instead of staying there permanently due to his job in Pakistan.