Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday imposed a Pakistani father to make sure that weekly video call contact between his minor daughter and her Polish mother in an ongoing custody case.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the petition filed by the Polish mother sought the return of her daughter from Pakistan. In accordance with court decisions, the father, Adeel Khan, emerged to court and presented the child.

After court instructions, the four and a half years old girl, Anita Maryam Khan, was allowed to talk to her mother, Anna Monica, via video link in a separate room. It was reportedly their first conversation in three years when the child was brought to Pakistan when she was only one and a half years old.

The court ordered the father to facilitate weekly video calls between mother and daughter and to submit a report on the implementation during the next consultation. The mother was also asked to give an update on progress in the parallel custody, heard in a Polish court on June 16.

During the case, the court asked if the child recognized his mother. The father’s lawyer stated that the girl recognized her mother but did not participate in much conversation because of the long separation. Justice Kayani emphasized that the court for now could only restore contact between the child and her mother by virtual means.

In response to the court’s question, Adeel Khan claimed that he left Poland because of the threats of the mother and that he no longer had Polish citizenship. He claimed that the mother had tried to harm both him and the child, and said he had also approached Polish courts.

The court postponed the hearing until July 9 and ordered both parties to comply with the orders in the meantime.