"I searched for him and the children."
A Pakistani-origin US woman has turned to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking recovery of her missing children.
The petitioner, Ghulam Ghausia Akhunzada, alleged that her husband deceived her and secretly took their sons to Pakistan.
She told the court she married Muhammad Owais Tariq of Taxila in 2014 and later moved to America.
The couple had two sons, Arham, aged eight, and Haider, aged five, both born and raised in the United States.
Akhunzada claimed her husband took the children’s passports, promising an Umrah pilgrimage, but instead travelled to Pakistan without consent.
She said: “My husband has multiple addresses in Pakistan. I searched for him and the children but could not trace them.”
She further claimed that a US court had already ruled in her favour, recognising her right to custody.
The petitioner requested that Pakistani authorities locate her husband and immediately order him to hand over the children safely.
During proceedings, IHC Justice Muhammad Asif instructed the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency to trace Tariq and provide a report.
The judge directed the agency to complete its investigation quickly and submit findings before September 11, 2025, for the next hearing.
In her petition, Akhunzada emphasised the emotional toll of separation.
She said she was living in fear for her children’s safety.
Akhunzada insisted the deception began with religious pretence, turning into a case of alleged abduction and violation of legal rights.
Her case has drawn attention because of similar disputes where cross-border families ended in custody battles and international complexity.
Previously, Shumaila Ahsan, a resident of Islamabad’s G-7 sector, filed a petition after losing her son Kabir.
She alleged her Afghan husband, Ahsan Khan, became abusive, neglected financial support, and then forcibly took their child to Kabul.
Shumaila told the court: “He stopped giving me money to take care of my son and did not return home for months.”
Later, she said her husband came from Kabul and took their son with him without her consent.
Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan issued notices to the Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry, police officials and Shumaila’s husband.
Like Shumaila’s petition, the US woman’s case highlights how women often struggle for justice when children are taken without permission.
The Islamabad High Court will now determine the next steps as officials attempt to locate her husband and secure the children’s return.
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