Probe ordered into newborn extortion claim

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday took up a child custody dispute involving a newborn allegedly being withheld at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) over an alleged demand for money.

The matter came before Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich after the infant's grandmother, Nasreen Bibi, filed an emergency petition through her lawyer, Mehtab Abbasi.

According to the petition, the baby was bon at PIMS to Mehnaz Bibi, and all required medical and administrative procedures had been completed. However, the family alleged that the hospital's gynaecology department refused to hand over the newborn.

The petition claimed that a senior nurse demanded Rs500,000 from the family in exchange for releasing the baby. It further alleged that the family was warned the infant would not be returned to the mother unless the payment was made and was threatened that the child could be handed over to unknown individuals if they failed to meet the demand.

Describing the incident as a case of extortion, intimidation and administrative misconduct, the family asked the court to order the immediate return of the newborn, arguing there was no legal basis for the hospital to continue withholding the child.

After hearing the petition, Judge Waraich directed the Islamabad Police to immediately visit the hospital, investigate the allegations and take appropriate action in accordance with the law.