Polish mother seeks custody of daughter from Pakistani father in IHC

ISLAMABAD: A Polish woman has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking custody of her daughter from her Pakistani husband.

Anna Monika Wajsk alleged in her petition that her husband, Adeel Khan, a resident of Sindh, brought their daughter, a Polish citizen, to Pakistan in 2022 without her consent and under deceptive circumstances.

During the hearing, the IHC directed the Interior Secretary to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to trace the child and her father. The JIT will cooperate with the Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Home Department to trace their whereabouts.

The court further directed the JIT to collect information about Adeel Khan’s family tree from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to help in the investigation.

Furthermore, the IHC ordered that the names of Adeel Khan and his daughter be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) and blacklist to prevent them from leaving the country.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the court that Adeel Khan’s last arrival was recorded at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on December 18, 2024, indicating that he was still in Pakistan.

The hearing was adjourned till January 21.

In a related case in 2022, the IHC handed over two children to their Polish mothers after a legal battle with their Pakistani father. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the case, in which two Polish women were married to Sialkot resident Salim Muhammad.

The court, after considering the arguments of both the parties, ordered Salim Muhammad to return the children to their mothers. The father had claimed that he had brought the children to Pakistan with the consent of their mothers. However, he also cited conflicts stemming from religious differences, saying that his previous wives took the children to church, which caused tension in their relationship.