With the help of free legal aid, the Sharjah Sharia Court recognized the paternity of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Sharjah: After a 13-year wait, the Sharjah Sharia Court has ruled that the father of the baby girl born to a Pakistani national and a Bangladeshi woman is Pakistani national Noor Ahmed Khan Sultan. Thirteen-year-old Maryam Khan is facing obstacles due to the lack of legal documents as the father has not been confirmed.

Halima, a Bangladeshi national, was four months pregnant when her Pakistani husband left her for Pakistan. Their marriage was registered in the Ajman court. The wedding took place in the Ajman court while Halima's husband Noor Ahmed Khan Sultan was working as a driver in Sharjah. Halima has the marriage certificate from the Ajman court. Since her husband was not present, neighbors were present during the delivery. However, they tried to contact her husband but were unable to. They contacted Halima's brother, but by the time his brother arrived, Halima had given birth. Since her child was born at home, she could not get a birth certificate or passport for the child. Due to this, she has not been able to get any legal benefits for the past thirteen years.

In this regard, social worker and legal representative Salam Pappinissery intervened and approached the Sharjah Child Welfare Department with Halima and the child and with their help, filed an application for paternity in the Sharjah Sharia Court. To prove paternity, the court was asked to confirm that Noor Ahmad Khan, a Pakistani national, was the husband and that the child, Maryam, was his daughter, as per the marriage contract register in the Ajman Court. In the subsequent sitting, two witnesses were produced as requested by the court and the court recorded their statements. From the witness's statement, the court was convinced that the Pakistani national was Halima's husband and that the Pakistani national had gone to the country after she became pregnant.

As observed by the trial court, the Ajman Court, based on the marriage contract published on 12/6/2003, the examination of the plaintiff and the witnesses, as well as the defendant's movements and movements, and finally his departure from the country on 21/3/2012, stated that the child named Maryam was the daughter of a Pakistani named Noor Ahmad Khan Sultan under Article 89 of the Personal Status Code.

The child's mother Halima said that although she approached many people and legal institutions about her daughter's plight, no one came to her aid and that everyone was demanding huge amounts of money as legal fees. Finally, it was the legal representatives of Ali Ibrahim and Rashid Al Suwaidi Legal Consultants in Sharjah, Salam Pappinissery and Advocate Talat Anwar, who took the necessary steps to obtain a verdict through the Sharjah court that the child's father is Pakistani national Noor Ahmed Khan Sultan.

After receiving the court verdict, steps are being taken to obtain an NOC from the Pakistani embassy for Maryam to have a Bangladeshi passport and then they are trying to obtain a Bangladeshi passport as soon as possible, said Salam Pappinissery, a legal representative and social activist.