PESHAWAR, May 31: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday ordered the shifting of two small brothers to the Police Child Protection Centre (PCPC) after their parents, a Kyrgyz woman and her Pakistani husband, developed a row over their custody.

Fixing the next hearing into the case for June 12, Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan directed the PCPC officials to take good care of the children and provide them with proper food until then. He also said the court would decide the case on merit.

On the court’s order, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had recovered the two brothers, Sudais, 5, and Ahmad Ali, 4, from the house of their paternal aunt in Mardan district on Wednesday.

Kyrgyz woman, Temirova Nurzhanal Osmonalyevna, a resident of Bishkek, had filed the petition, saying her Pakistani husband, Shaukat Ali, had illegally taken away her two sons and that he might harm them. Shaukat’s father, Mohammad Nabi, and his brother-in-law, Nawaz Khan, also showed up, while an official of the FIA produced the two children.

Usman Khan Turlandi, lawyer for Shaukat’s family, said the two children were Muslims and studied at a local school. He said the culture of Pakistan was different from that of Kyrgyzstan and giving the two children in the custody of their mother would negatively impact on their personality.

The chief justice observed that as the petitioner’s counsel, Sheikh Riazul Haq, was not present, detailed arguments in the case would be held on the next hearing.

Akbar Ali and police inspector Mohammad Rafique appeared for PCPC and said after recovery, the two boys were shifted to the centre and that they were being treated well there and would be produced before the court again on the next hearing.

The petitioner claimed that she married Shaukat in Bishkek around six years ago and had two sons.

She said their relations later went sour prompting Shaukat to flee to Pakistan in January 2011 taking away the two children.

She alleged that her husband was wanted in several cases as he had committed frauds and the Kyrgyz government had also requested the Interpol to help it arrest him.

On the last hearing on May 2, a high court bench had directed FIA to trace the two boys after rejecting a Swabi police report that Shaukat and his two sons couldn’t be found even during a raid on the man’s ancestral village, Botka Shaheedan.Clad in traditional shalwar kameez, the two boys played with their mineral water bottles during the hearing.

Later, Nawaz Khan told Dawn outside the courtroom that his brother-in-law Shaukat had left his village around 10 months ago and had told him over the telephone that he was in London.

He said he was the husband of Shaukat’s sister and the two children were with them in Mardan.

Shaukat’s father, Mohammad Nabi, said his son had done nothing wrong as the petitioner had a commitment with him that she would accompany him to Pakistan, but later, she declined.

“My son was engaged to a local girl but left her because of this (Kyrgyz) woman,” Mr Nabi said. He added that his son was doing a small business in Bishkek, while the petitioner was his employee.