A one-and-a-half-year-old girl who was allegedly thrown into a canal by her mother has recovered and has now been placed under the protective custody of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB).
Police said in Nawab Town, an 18-year-old woman, Mehwish, wife of Zahid Iqbal, became upset after a domestic dispute with her sister and threw her daughter, Jannat Fatima, into the Rakh Branch Canal before fleeing.
Eyewitnesses reported that citizens at the scene jumped into the water near Jhal Pul and managed to rescue the infant alive.
Rescue 1122 teams provided first aid before shifting the child in critical condition to Allied Hospital Faisalabad, where doctors succeeded in reviving her.
Batala Colony police registered a case against Mehwish under Sections 324, 328-A of the PPC and Section 34 of the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Children Act 2004, arresting her and placing her in custody.
Police said the child was deemed unsafe in the custody of her biological mother and therefore, under Section 24 of the same Act, she was handed over to the Child Protection Bureau Faisalabad. Child Protection Officer Rubina Iqbal Cheema told police that due to limited facilities in Faisalabad, the girl was produced before Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Iqbal Harl, who ordered her transfer to the Lahore Child Protection Bureau.
The girl’s grandmother expressed a desire to take custody, but police advised her to seek relief through court.
Batala Colony SHO Junaid Nazir Gujar said the case was handled promptly after a citizen’s call to the police helpline 15. He added that, on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Faisalabad CPO Sahibzada Bilal Umar, the child’s safety was ensured through the Bureau, which will now provide long-term protection and care in Lahore.
