Inter-country Child Abduction—Pakistan’s Legal Response

Abstract

The number of international child abduction in the territory of Pakistan has increased in the wake of a growing trend of cross-cultural marriages. However legal aspects of International child abduction has not received much attention and awareness from the government of Pakistan and relevant authorities. The international community through Hague Convention mechanism lays down procedure to bring back the abducted child to his/her place of habitual residence and attempt to prevent parental child abduction. Hague convention is a multilateral treaty, which addresses parental abduction by facilitating co-operation between central authorities of the signatory countries to expedite the return of the child to the country of their habitual residence. Pakistan is not a party to Hague Convention but cross border families disputes particularly child abduction has been treated with immense importance by the judiciary of Pakistan on the basis of the welfare of child as a guiding principle of family law in custody matters.