The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered to transfer Dua Zahra — the teenager who had mysteriously disappeared from Karachi in April — to Karachi. A two-member bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Iqbal Kalhoro, heard the case and will announce the verdict today.
Zaheer Ahmed, the 21-year-old who is accused by Dua’s father of kidnapping her, was also produced before the court after orders for his arrest were given.
According to the details, Justice Kalhoro remarked that Dua Zahra must be brought to Karachi and the case will be heard here as she went missing from this city.
Read more: Dua Zahra case: SHC issues show-cause notice to IG Sindh over inaction
“There are shelter homes in Karachi as well where security arrangements will be made. There will be no threat to the girl in Karachi,” the judge remarked.
On the other hand, Zaheer Ahmed’s lawyer claimed that Dua Zahra cannot be shifted to Karachi or forced to meet anyone if she doesn’t want to. However, the judge hit back by saying that Dua Zahra’s statement has no legal value as she has been declared a minor.
"There appears to be no legal or otherwise impediment for this court in approving, and/or stopping the IO from performing his official duty to seek, shifting of her custody from Darul Aman Lahore and her [#DuaZahra] production before the trial Court…" Hon' Sindh High Court pic.twitter.com/ijHVCye5IH
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) July 21, 2022
Dua Zahra abduction case
The absurdity of Dua Zahra’s kidnapping case had caused a storm in Pakistan. In April, a young girl named Dua Zahra was reported missing in Karachi. It was later learned that the girl ran away from home to marry a boy named Zaheer Ahmed in Punjab.
The case became controversial due to the contrasting claims. Dua Zahra released multiple statements claiming that she willingly married Zaheer Ahmed and is eighteen years old. On the other hand, her parents insist that she has been kidnapped and her marriage is illegal due to her young age which is fourteen.
The majority of the public also believes that this is a story of child trafficking and Dua is being pressurized to give false statements. Later, a second medical test revealed that Dua Zahra is indeed a minor.
Read more: Netizens demand arrest of Dua Zehra’s husband after true age revealed
According to the latest updates in the kidnapping case, Dua Zahra turned up before the court and claimed she had separated from Ahmed and her life was in danger as her parents were threatening her with dire consequences. She pleaded with the judge to send her to the Darul Aman, which was granted.