LAHORE: A judicial magistrate of Lahore on Saturday allowed Sindh Police to move Dua Zehra, the teenager who married on her free will, to Karachi in order to produce her in the city’s trial court.
“Police Inspector Muhammad Ali along-with Aziza Sultana LHC are allowed to take the custody of Dua Zehra from shelter home, Lahore to produce her before learned trial court for direction to be passed for her lodgment in shelter home, Karachi or any appropriate order as the case may be,” read the order released by Magistrate Rizwan Ahmad of Lahore’s district court.
The court noted that the Karachi inspector had earlier submitted an application to give him the girl’s custody in pursuance of the direction passed by judicial magistrate, Karachi East in this regard.
It also noted that the divisional bench of Sindh High Court had earlier passed a verdict about the teenager’s shifting from Darul Aman, Lahore to Darul Aman, Karachi.
The judicial magistrate maintained that the officers were responsible for the safe custody of the teenager and to take all relevant precautionary measures.
The court also barred any meetings with Dua from either side until she was produced before the Karachi magistrate.
The Karachi police team on Saturday had arrived Lahore to take custody of teenage married girl Dua Zehra but the court reserved its judgement regarding her handing over to the Sindh authorities.
On the other hand, Dua’s lawyer who filed a petition against the shifting of the Karachi teenage girl in the Judicial Magistrate District Court of Judge Rizwan Ahmad argued before the court today that the girl did not want to go back to Karachi as she feared for her life over there. He said he wanted to record her statement under 164 in the Lahore District Court. He alleged that Dua’s father Mehdi Kazmi was exploiting his daughter for his financial benefit.
Ali Hassan Jafri advocate said that he met with Dua who made some other revelations. He said that Dua’s original date of birth was April 27, 2006. He told the court that his clients wanted Dua’s ossification test and Dua’s father was made party to the case but he didn’t turn up.
However, Mehdi Kazmi’s lawyer contended that the Judicial Magistrate Court did not have the jurisdiction to pass an order for the ossification test. He said that the case was sub-judice in Karachi trial court and to hear another petition or take notice on it was tantamount to interfering in the jurisdiction of Sindh High Court.
The police team told the court that they reached Lahore to take Dua’s custody as the girl would be presented before the Sindh High Court on July 25.
After hearing arguments from both the lawyers, the court reserved its judgement whether police would be allowed to take the girl back to Karachi or she would stay in Lahore’s shelter home.
