IHC awards minor’s custody to mother

IHC bars PIERA from taking action against private schools over fees

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered that the custody of a three-year-old child be handed over to the child’s mother, after the child’s father kidnapped him and flew away to Dubai.

The father Muhammad Usman had deceivingly flown away to Dubai with the child in February last year without the mother’s permission.

The decision was pronounced by a two-member bench including Justice Ather Minallah and Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzaib.

The child’s mother, Hania Usman, had filed a petition in IHC nine months ago. However Usman appeared before the court along with his son yesterday. In the last hearing, Usman’s counsel had requested the court not arrest him if he appeared in court.

The court said the parties could reach a family court for resolution of other issues between them.

Earlier, Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzaib had issued bailable and then non-bailable arrest warrants for Usman. Moreover, the court had ordered to block his passport and directed the foreign office to contact related authorities in Dubai to bring the child back.

PIERA vs PSA

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) barred the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PIERA) from taking action against the private schools until next hearing.

During the hearing of a petition against the Private Schools Association (PSA), the applicant’s counsel said that the PEIRA issued a notification on June 12 in which it directed private schools to revisit the fee structure as per the Supreme Court’s (SC’s) decision. However, the counsel added that the authority was carrying out a personal enmity behind the pretext of the apex court’s decision.

The counsel added the PEIRA’s chairman had misinterpreted the verdict. After hearing the counsel’s stance, Justice Amir Farooq issued notices to the secretary of the Law and Justice Ministry, the Federal Education Ministry and PEIRA to submit a clarification after the court’s summer vacations.

Smuggling allegations

The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court acquitted a convict of drug smuggling on the basis of false testimonies.

The suspect’s counsel Advocate Ilyas Khan adapted the stance that his client was arrested by Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) without any evidence or witness to the recovery of 11 kilograms of drugs from him. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2019.