The Supreme Court has stayed deportation of the 12-year-old Scottish Pakistani schoolgirl, Misbah Iram to Britain to join her mother Louise Anne-Fairley until decision of her father's appeal for custody.
As per order of a single bench of the Lahore High Court of 29th November, Misbah was due to be handed over by her father Sajjad Ahmad Rana to the British High Commission Islamabad today (Friday) for her return to UK.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry admitted an appeal of Misbah's father Sajjad Ahmad Rana for regular hearing and suspended the High Court order here on Friday. Earlier counsel for the appellant Malik Mohammad Qayyum and Naheed Mahboob Elahi, counsel for Louise Anne Fairley submitted initial arguments in support of their contentions in this high profile international child custody case.
Adjourning the regular hearing till 2nd week of January, the court said "the appeal is admitted and the girl will not leave Pakistan until the final decision of the case."