SHC orders authorities to present Dua Zehra in court

Petitioner says they are getting information on Dua from social media

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued a written order in the case of the alleged kidnapping and underage marriage of Dua Zehra and ordered the authorities to present the teen at the next hearing.

According to Express News, a two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro issued the order, instructing Super Superintendent of Police (SSP) East and the station house officer (SHO) Al-falah to present Dua Zahra at the next hearing.

The court further issued notices to the prosecutor general Sindh and others.

In the petition, Dua’s father, Mehdi Ali Kazmi, had maintained that SSP East, SHO Al-Falah and the investigating officer should be ordered to recover Dua and the investigating officer should be instructed to recover the teen from husband Zaheer Ahmed.

It pleaded that Dua should be present in court and that she and her family should be protected. The petition further stated that the teen and Zaheer Ahmed's marriage on April 17 should be declared illegal.

The petition states on the record that on April 16, at one o'clock, Mehdi Ali Kazmi’s wife informed him that their daughter Dua was missing and a case of her abduction was registered against unknown persons at Al-Falah police station.

Read SHC issues notices to authorities in Dua Zehra case

Dua’s father maintained that the investigating officer of the case had still not submitted the challan in the court of the judicial magistrate.

The petitioner further claimed that he found through social media that his daughter was married to Zaheer Ahmed.

It stated that at the time of marriage, Dua was 14 years old and according to NADRA records she was 13 years of age.

Earlier this week, the SHC issued notices to the Home Department, IG Sindh, SSP Sharqi, SHO Al-Falah Police Station and Dua Zehra's husband Zaheer Ahmed on her father's appeal regarding the teenager’s alleged abduction and early marriage.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro heard the plea earlier today. In the petition, Dua Zehra's father had stated that his daughter had been abducted.

“My daughter was forcibly married. She should be brought to court to find out the facts,” the petition read. He pleaded that the court should record Dua's statement and that police officials should be directed to bring her to court.