SC sends Tayyaba to orphanage till identification of parents

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday handed over custody of the 10-year-old tortured maid Tayyaba to an orphanage till the identity of her true parents could not be established.

Proceedings of the Tayyaba torture case were held at the Supreme Court in which the 10-year-old was summoned to the court. The Chief Justice ordered that all detailed documents relating to the girl’s DNA and medical tests be submitted to the Supreme Court. Till the parents of the girl were not determined, the Supreme Court ruled that the girl be sent to Pakistan Sweet Homes, an orphanage in Pakistan.

“The investigation must be conducted in a fair and transparent manner,” said the Chief Justice. “Further questions regarding the identity of the girl should be asked from NADRA and further explanations should also be sought from the medical board,” he added.

The Chief Justice wondered why the girl was handed over to someone so hastily without even affirming the identity of her parents. A man named Azam arrived at the Supreme Court and claimed that Tayyaba was his child. Upon enquiry by the court, he answered that his neighbour had taken Tayyaba away to work in August 2016. Azam claimed that he recognised his daughter from her images on TV.

The court declared that police would have full access to Sweet Homes. Interestingly, all three women who had claimed to be Tayyaba’s mother retracted and said that Tayyaba was not their daughter. The women claimed that their daughters had also gone missing, after which the court ordered registration of missing persons cases for their children.

Tayyaba’s alleged father Azam claimed that he was threatened by the lawyer that if he did not sign the document to pardon the District and Sessions Judge, then his daughter Tayyaba would not be given to him.