MEA officer to meet filmmaker over detention of his minor kids in Pakistan: HC told

The Ministry of External Affairs MEA on Monday told the Bombay High Court an officer from its Chief Passport and Visa office would meet film producer Mushtaq Nadiadwala who has claimed his two minor children have been illegally detained by his Pakistani wife and her family since 2020The MEA made the submission before a division bench of Justices N M Jamdar and N R BorkarThe bench was hearing a plea filed by Nadiadwala seeking direction to the Indian government to facilitate the safe return of his two minor children a 9yearold son and a 6yearold daughter who are allegedly being held illegally in Pakistan The plea also sought the return of his wife if she is being held in the neighbouring country by her family under undue influenceOn Monday Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and advocate Ashish Chavan appearing for the MEA sought time to file an affidavit in response to the petition as it raises a peculiar situation and said the government was not taking the petition as an adversarial in conflict pleaAlso Read Ganeshotsav 2022 Planning to visit Andhericha Raja pandal check out the dressThe bench then noted that since the government was not taking the matter as adversarial an officer of the MEA could meet the petitioner and give him a hearing and explain what steps can be taken in such a situationAt least then the petitioner Nadiadwala too would be satisfied It need not necessarily be through the court Involve him Nadiadwala too and let him also know what steps you have taken or propose to take in his case Justice Jamdar remarkedSingh and Chavan agreed to the suggestion and said the Joint Secretary of the MEAs Chief Passport and Visa department would give an audience to the filmmaker to understand the steps taken by the government in such casesNadiadwalas counsel Beni Chatterji told the court his client would first like the government to locate his children and inform if they are safeThe court then posted the matter for further hearing on September 12Chatterji also informed the court that Nadiadwala is very distressed as his father A G Nadiadwala passed away on August 22 without even meeting his grandchildrenNadiadwala in his plea claimed the central government has failed to discharge its duties to protect and bring back the children who are Indian citizens and are being illegally detained in PakistanThe petition further said the visiting visa granted to the two children expired in October 2021The filmmaker alleged his children have been illegally detained in Pakistan by his wife Maryam Chaudhary and her familyNadiadwala claimed his wife has refused to return to India and has also not declined to provide any plausible reason for deserting himAs per the petition Nadiadwala married Maryam Chaudhary in April 2012 in Pakistan after which his wife moved to India and applied for Indian citizenship The couple subsequently had two childrenIn November 2020 Chaudhary left India for Pakistan along with the two kidsIn February 2021 she filed a guardianship petition in Lahore seeking to be appointed as the lawful guardian of the two children which was accepted by a court in the Pakistani cityNadiadwala in his petition alleged Chaudhary may have been brainwashed or coerced to extend her stay in PakistanThe illegal detention of the children in Pakistan is not only in gross derogation of immigration laws of both countries but is also predominantly contrary to the general wellbeing and upbringing of the children the petition saidThe filmmaker further said his wifes family members are influential people in PakistanThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever