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The central government in its status report told the high court that it had not received any reply from the Government of Pakistan on the whereabouts of the children of the film producer.
The Central Government has informed the Bombay High Court that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to receive a reply from the Government of Pakistan on the whereabouts of the children of the producer Mushtaq Nadiadwala who are allegedly detained by her wife in Pakistan since 2020.
The Central Government informed the division bench comprising Justice Sunil B Shukre and Justice Abhay Waghwase in the plea filed by the movie producer for return of his children from Pakistan.
The Central Government in its status report stated that it had sought details from the Government of Pakistan through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and sought details of the movie producer’s children’s visa and citizenship.
The status report said that despite two reminders sent to the Government of Pakistan in October 2022 and February 2023, the government had not received a reply.
“The response to the three notes issued by the High Commission of India (in) Islamabad has not been received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan, till date”, the report stated.
The status report further said that the government will continue to follow up on the matter with the government of Pakistan.
“The government of India through its High Commission in Islamabad is following up the matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, for obtaining the details/whereabouts of the two minor children and will continue to pursue the matter with the Government of Pakistan,” read the status report.
Nadiadwala claimed in his petition that his spouse, Maryam Chaudhary, and her family have unlawfully kept his children in Pakistan, and he accused Maryam of abandoning him without any reasonable justification and declining to come back to India.
According to the plea, Nadiadwala tied the knot with Maryam in April 2012 in Pakistan after she migrated to India and applied for Indian nationality. They later became parents to two children.
In November 2020, Maryam departed from India to Pakistan with their two children.
Subsequently, in February 2021, Maryam lodged a plea for guardianship in Lahore, asking to be designated as the legal guardian of their two children. The Lahore court accepted her petition. Nadiadwala suspected that Maryam might have been compelled or influenced to prolong her stay in Pakistan.
Case title: Mushtaq Nadiadwala vs UOI & Ors
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