Court Seeks PIMS Report in Newborn Custody Dispute

News Desk

Islamabad: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Wednesday sought reports from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Islamabad Police after hearing a petition alleging that a newborn has not been handed over to the mother despite the completion of legal formalities.

The petition, filed by the child’s grandmother, Nasreen Bibi, through her counsel Mehtab Abbasi, also alleges that a hospital staff member demanded Rs500,000 in exchange for releasing the baby.

The case came before Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich, who directed the PIMS administration to submit a report and instructed Islamabad Police to visit the hospital and present its findings to the court on the same day.

According to the petition, the child was born to Mehnaz Bibi at PIMS, but the newborn has remained in the custody of the hospital’s gynecology department since birth.

The family told the court that all required legal formalities had been completed and there was no lawful basis for withholding the child.

The petition further alleges that a head nurse demanded Rs500,000 from the family for the baby’s release and warned that the newborn would not be handed over unless the amount was paid.

It also claims the family was threatened that the child could be handed over to unknown individuals if the payment was not made.

The petitioner requested the court to order the immediate handover of the newborn to the mother, arguing that there was no legal justification for the continued custody of the child by the hospital.

After the hearing, the court sought reports from both the PIMS administration and Islamabad Police before taking further action in the case.