Court recognises NADRA documents stating Aarzoo's age to be 13

Development comes after medical board submits report confirming her age to not be more than 15 years

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday recognised NADRA documents stating the age of Aarzoo, a Christian girl allegedly abducted before being forcibly converted to Islam and wedded to a 44-year-old Muslim man, as 13 years old.

The development came after medical test reports that also proved Arzoo Masih was around 14 to 15 years years of age were submitted to the court.

The case was heard before a two-member bench headed by Justice KK Agha. The court directed the investigation officer to conduct an inquiry in the light of the Child Marriage Act and remarked that action should be taken in the light of the law on underage marriage.

The high court further ordered for the girl to be sent back to the shelter home, allowing her to only meet the people she wanted to meet.

During the hearing, the court also asked Aarzoo if she was under pressure. However, she said she was not, and converted and contracted marriage of her own free will.

Lawyers for Aarzoo's parents, Jibran Nasir revealed on Twitter that the ruling proved that the girl had, in fact, “contracted child marriage”.

“At this stage only question of Child Marriage has been addressed and resolved,” he added.

Nasir further said that the court is yet to determine whether Arzoo chose to convert of her own volition and whether her will is recognised at all given her young age.

 

Hon' Court has not disposed off this petition and next hearing is after two weeks. Court is yet to determine whether #Arzoo is sui juris to convert religion of free will given her age of 13. At this stage only question of Child Marriage has been addressed and resolved.

— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) November 9, 2020

 

The hearing was adjourned for two weeks.

On Friday a local court had extended the physical remand of accused Azhar Ali on the request of the investigation officer (IO) for the Arzoo case, directing the IO to submit Arzoo's DNA report at the next hearing as well.

Ali is accused of abducting Arzoo, said to be 13 years of age, before forcibly converting her to Islam and marrying her.

On November 2, Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari had said that a local court in Karachi had ordered the police and relevant agencies to recover and shift Arzoo Masih to a shelter home.

Two days prior to the ruling, the court had dismissed a plea seeking the girl's transfer to a shelter home. Raja, the father of Arzoo Masih, had moved the application pleading the court to send her to a shelter home instead of sending her with her alleged husband, adding that she was not safe with him.