SHC allows Dua Zehra to go wherever she wants to
KARACHI (92 News) - The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday allowed Dua Zehra to go with her parents or husband with her free will.
In the three-page written verdict, the court ruled that the case does not seem to be a kidnap incident after looking into the evidence. "It was prerogative of the Sindh government to produce Dua Zehra in the Lahore High Court. The trial should continue the proceedings as usual," the court ruled.
Meanwhile, the court ordered the investigation officer to submit the supplementary challan of the case.
On the other hand, the investigation officer submitted a certificate to determine age of Dua Zehra to the Sindh High Court.
Dua Zehra Case History:
Dua's parents had lodged a case in Karachi on April 16, alleging that their daughter was kidnapped and forced into child marriage.
Ten days later, Dua had appeared on the media along with Zaheer Ahmed and announced they had married in Lahore. She had denied that she was kidnapped and alleged that her parents were lying about her age as she was 18 years old.
When she was first taken into custody on April 26, a Lahore court had allowed the teenager 'to go wherever she wanted to and be set at liberty from the premises of the court as desired by her to go wherever she wants to'.
However, Dua's parents were adamant that their daughter had been kidnapped and said that she had been forced to give the statement.
The teenager's father had approached the SHC last month with a plea against the Punjab court's orders. Mehdi had stated in the petition that as per her educational documents, birth certificate and other records, Dua’s age was 13 and under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013, it was illegal to marry a minor/underage.
He had asked the court to order a medical examination of his daughter.In the following days, Karachi police repeatedly failed to produce the teenager before the court, earning the judges' ire. On Sunday, Dua and Ahmad were recovered from Chishtian, Bahawalnagar, and brought to Karachi.
