Daily Times

LAHORE: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar Sunday summoned his son-in-law for ‘explanation’ over attempting to earn an undue favour for a senior police official in a child custody case.

DIG Dogar’s Canadian-national former wife had appealed to the apex court against the placement of her and children’s names on the exit control list (ECL). The DIG allegedly wanted his former spouse and sons to remain on the no-fly list.

While hearing the case at the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry, the chief justice took strong exception to the DIG’s attempt to gain undue favour by appealing to his son-in-law Khalid Rehman, and summoned Rehman to court immediately to record his statement. He reprimanded DIG Ghulam Mehmood Dogar for approaching his family members for a favour. “Who advised you to seek undue favour from my family members,” he questioned the police officer. “How dare you approach my son-in-law to seek a favour from me? How dare you think that anyone can ask chief justice of Pakistan for an undue favour? I am on a path of jihad against injustices and you are asking me for favours,” the CJP remarked.

“You are my son at my home but right now you are standing before the chief justice of Pakistan. Tell the court who asked you for the intercession,” the chief justice questioned his son-in-law. Rehman tendered an apology and informed the court that DIG Dogar had asked him for a favour. “DIG Dogar wants the name of his former wife and children to stay on the exit control list (ECL),” he told the two-member bench.

Reiterating his apology, the DIG pleaded the court to not remove his former wife and children’s names from the ECL. Halting the court proceedings, the chief justice advised both the parties to reach private chambers for further hearing.

Last year, DIG Dogar’s former wife Mirjam Aberras Lahdeaho had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking recovery of her sons from Dogar’s custody. In the petition, she had stated that she was a citizen of Finland and Canadian national and married Dogar 31 years ago. The petitioner said she had three children with him, namely elder daughter Zara, and two sons, Ghulam Qasim Dogar and Ghulam Jafar Dogar. She said both the parents of Dogar, his brother, and his sister were also Canadian nationals.

Dogar had asked Aberras to send the children to Pakistan to spend the holidays with him last year. She sent all three children home and then the DIG allegedly refused to let them fly back to Canada. Mirjiam claimed the respondent initially used delaying tactics and flatly refused to send them back after a few months, according to media reports. Mirjam had gained custody of her children through a family court.

Published in Daily Times, April 30^th 2018.