The Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed a petition filed by the mother and brother of the husband of Dua Zahra, a Karachi girl who had contracted marriage in Punjab against her parents’ will, against police harassment after the girl appeared in court on Friday.
Noor Muneer and Bashir Ahmad filed the petition, which was heard by Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh.
On the occasion, SSP Investigation Imran Kishwar presented in court a report on the girl’s recovery.
Dua was returned to the shelter home after the hearing.
Dua’s in-laws claimed in their petition that the girl voluntarily traveled from Karachi to Punjab to marry Zaheer Ahmad.
It was also stated that after the marriage, Dua had her statement recorded in court under Section 164.
Counsel for the petitioners told the court that the girl explicitly stated in her statement that she married Zaheer because she loved him. “However, after their ‘Nikah,’ both the Punjab and Sindh police began harassing not only the couple but also my clients,” he explained, adding, “Therefore, it is prayed to the court to order police to stop harassing the newlyweds as well as their relatives.”
The Sindh High Court, in its written verdict issued the day before yesterday (Wednesday, June 8, 2022), allowed Dua to make her own decision and to live with whomever she chooses.
In a three-page written order, Justice Junaid Ghaffar stated that the court’s decision was based on the testimony. “This is not a case of kidnapping, based on the evidence. According to her oath and age certificate, the alleged/minor Dua E Zahra Kazmi is free to choose where she wants to live and how she wants to live,” the order stated.
