‘Tortured’ child maid Tayyaba recovered: Police

ISLAMABAD: Law Enforcement Agencies and Police have recovered Tayyaba — the ten-year-old maid allegedly tortured while working at the residence of an additional sessions judge — from a suburban area of Islamabad.

Tayyaba had mysteriously gone missing after the case was highlighted in local media upon which Supreme Court had taken a suo motu action.

According to sources, police have taken custody of the child.

The whereabouts of the girl and her parents had become a major issue as the Supreme Court had summoned the child's parents to appear in court.

The case of the alleged torture of the maid caught the media's attention after she was recovered from the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan.

The minor girl, whose face and hands bore torture marks, had initially denied being hurt by her employers. She told the police that she got a wound to her eye after falling from the stairs, while her hand was also burnt accidentally.

However, the poor girl narrated her ordeal after being politely inquired by a female magistrate later. She stated before the magistrate that she was beaten and her hand was burnt on the stove for losing the broom.

On Tuesday, the matter was settled out of court and, according to the child’s father, the parents had forgiven the actions in the way of the Almighty.

This led to Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Saqib Nisar taking suo moto notice of the case and summoning Tayyaba’s parents along with police officials.

Miseries in the life of Tayyaba

Tayyaba suffered perhaps all the miseries at a very tender age.

The girl was distanced from her mother and home while she was just eight years old. Thrown into the kiln of child labour to pay off her father's debts, Tayyaba allegedly continued to suffer brutal torture.

Her employers - Additional Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his family - apparently had no pity for the child maid.

Tayyaba's painful cries would often shake the neighbours of her employers in Islamabad, who would then comfort the little girl by offering some food and trying to console her.