IHC seeks answers on action under ‘Zainab’ child protection law

ISLAMABAD: More than five years after the passage of a landmark child protection law, key provisions of the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act, 2020 — including the agency meant to issue rapid alerts for missing children — remain unimplemented, the Islamabad High Court was told on Thursday.

During the hearing of a writ petition filed by Sanila Khurram against the Federation of Pakistan and others, the court took notice of data submitted by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, according to which 562 criminal cases relating to missing children and child abuse were registered in the federal capital between 2022 and 2025.

The court noted that the Zainab Alert Act was enacted to protect children’s rights, including the right to life and protection from violence, abuse, neglect, abduction and exploitation, in line with Pakistan’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir observed that a careful reading of the preamble of the act showed the law’s clear intent, yet its enforcement remained elusive.

The Act envisages the establishment of the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Agency under Section 3, with its powers and functions enumerated in Section 5.

The court directed the Ministry of Human Rights to submit a comprehensive report addressing at least 11 specific areas of concern.

These include whether the agency has been established; what standard operating procedures or rules exist for issuing alerts; what technological framework has been developed for the Zainab Alert Act database; whether real-time information is being shared by law enforcement agencies; what penal action has been taken against delinquent officials under Section 9; and whether rules have been framed under Section 18 of the Act.

Sources indicated that the rules have still not been notified.

The court also sought details on legal aid mechanisms for victims, the constitution of the ICT Child Protection Advisory Board and the integration of the Zainab Alert Act database with the ICT Police.

The court demanded a centralised record of cases tried under the act, including the number of cases referred for prosecution, pending trial and concluded, as well as the average time taken for trial, particularly whether trials concluded within the period stipulated under Section 15 of the Act.

The Ministry of Human Rights was directed to send an officer well conversant with the facts, while the director general of the authority — if such an authority exists in operation — was ordered to appear in person before the court.

The ICT Police was also directed to submit its response. Justice Tahir adjourned the case until July 1, 2026.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2026