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KARACHI: Missing teenage girl Dua Zehra and her alleged husband Zaheer Ahmed were presented before the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday.
The 14-year-old girl and her alleged husband, aged 21, were brought under strict security. Police could not present the young couple before a local court due to an ongoing protest at the City Court by lawyers.
During her appearance before the bench, Dua Zehra denied that she was abducted by Zaheer Ahmed and said that she prefers to live with her husband. When the court asked her age, the girl replied that she is 18 years old. She said she was recovered from Chishtian and wanted to go with Zaheer Ahmed.
Advocate General Sindh said that the girl left the province on her own and married in Punjab province. He said there was no violation of underage marriage law since the marriage was solemnized in Punjab.
The counsel representing the girl’s father said that she was 14-year-old as per her birth certificate. He said the court should give them some time and allow her to meet her parents. However, the girl refused to meet her parents and said that she wanted to go with Zaheer Ahmed.
The judge said that the girl is standing before them and claiming that she has not been abducted. Justice Junaid Ghaffar said they understand the parents are worried but they have to deal with the legal process and cannot force her to meet anyone.
He directed the authorities to conduct a medical examination of the girl to determine her age and send her to a shelter home.
Earlier in the day, Dua Zehra and her husband were shifted to Karachi after being nabbed by police from Bahawalnagar yesterday. The Sindh High Court had directed police to present the girl on June 10.
