Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday ordered tortured child maid Tayyaba to be handed over to the Pakistan Sweet Homes (PSH) until the identity of her parents could be determined.

A two member bench, presided over by Chief Justice (CJ) Saqib Nisar, started the hearing on the suo motu notice of Tayyaba’s torture case, with her medical report being presented in court.

The CJ was grateful for Tayyaba’s recovery. He mentioned that only Tayyaba could inform them of the actual facts of the case.

He also noted that it was better for the transparency of the case if Tayyaba did not stay with her parents. He also ordered the Islamabad Deputy Inspector General to investigate the matter with transparency and efficiency, in order to decide the case quickly.

The court made inquiries of Tayyaba’s alleged father, Muhammad Azam, who appeared in court on the same day as the maid was presented.

He informed the bench that he had three children of which Tayyaba was the eldest.

The CJ inquired into how he came to know that his daughter had been subjected to torture, as well as how she had initially reached Islamabad.

Azam said that he had come to know of her condition through the news on television.

He said that he had given Tayyaba into the custody of a neighbor, Nadra Bibi, who had taken her on the promise that she would get her a job. He added that Nadra had assured him Tayyaba would not be taken out of Faisalabad.

He also mentioned that a salary of Rs 3,000 had been decided with Nadra Bibi and she had given Rs 18,000 in advance.

Azam also confirmed that the minor had torture marks on her body when she was recovered. He said he had asked the judge how Tayyaba had received her injuries when the judge had handed her over to him. However he was not given any information on the matter.

He added, “The judge got me a home in Burma town and handed over a mobile sim to me. Later he asked me to take out the sim from mobile phone because this way the home can be located. No contact could be made for five days. Then we were given a form and we were asked to affix thumb impression on it that I forgave the judge for the sake of Tayyaba. And then we took Tayyaba home.”

The CJ inquired from the Assistant Commissioner (AC) whether Nadra Bibi had been contacted following the girl’s recovery, as well as asking him the reason behind not having recorded her statement.

The court also ordered that a DNA report be filed before it the same day when it is received. It further directed the recording of the statements of all the claimants in the case and the filing of the inquiry report within 10 days