LAHORE: In Sahiwal, the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), who also serves as the Presiding Officer of the Child Protection Court, directed the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) to hand over 17 rescued children to their parents or guardians, subject to proper identification and verification.
According to a report published in a local newspaper, the judge instructed that custody should only be granted if the court is satisfied with the parents’ identity, and legal proceedings should continue in accordance with the law.
This directive was issued in the case titled Allah Yar vs. State, filed in Tehsil Court Chichawatni through Advocate Muhammad Sajid Khan.
During the hearing, CPWB’s legal representative Akbar Ali Dhuddi and District Officer Muhammad Adnan confirmed that parents appeared at the bureau’s office and, after court-ordered verification, the children were safely handed over.
The petition, filed on 27 September, was decided the previous evening, leading to the children’s release. Court verification included checking parents’ national identity cards (CNICs) and asking children to identify their guardians.
The judge also personally questioned the minors to ensure accurate verification.
CPWB documented the handover with photographs of each child with their parents.
Earlier, 18 children — 17 of them from Balochistan — had undergone medical examinations after being recovered from an unregistered orphanage in Chichawatni.
A five-member medical board, led by Additional Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Naeem Atta, carried out physical check-ups and initial lab tests at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.
The reports are expected within two days. The medical examination was ordered by ADSJ Rana Tariq, who had earlier given interim custody of the children to the CPWB.
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Meanwhile, parents of the 17 Balochistan children had already submitted a legal application through their counsel seeking lawful custody from the court.
