The Islamabad District and Sessions Court has intervened in a distressing child custody dispute at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) after a family alleged that a senior nurse demanded a bribe of Rs500,000 to release a newborn baby.
Emergency Petition Filed
The case came before Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich when the child's grandmother, Nasreen Bibi, filed an emergency petition through her lawyer, Mehtab Abbasi. The petition claimed that despite completing all medical and administrative formalities, the gynaecology department at PIMS unlawfully kept the infant. The baby was delivered at the facility by Mehnaz Bibi.
Alleged Extortion and Threats
According to the petition, a head nurse at PIMS explicitly demanded Rs500,000 for the release of the newborn. The family alleged that the nurse warned the child would not be handed over unless the full amount was paid. Additionally, the petitioner stated that the family received threats that the infant would be given to unidentified individuals if they failed to comply.
Court Action
Citing severe administrative negligence and criminal intimidation, the family sought urgent court intervention for the immediate recovery and transfer of the newborn to the mother, arguing there was no legal justification for withholding the child. Judge Waraich swiftly directed the Islamabad Police to dispatch officers to the hospital to investigate the matter.
