Abduction or elopement: The saga of Karachi’s teenaged girl

Finally, the Sindh High Court has returned a 15-year-old girl, who had been reported as kidnapped from her home, to her parents, after spending nearly nine months apart.

While her parents had reported that she had been abducted from outside their house in Malir on April 16.

A few days after her mysterious disappearance, it was discovered that the girl purportedly eloped in Punjab.

The high court, however, made it clear that a final decision regarding the girl’s permanent custody with her family will be taken by a trial court.

The debate on whether the teenager was abduction or had eloped, led to an uproar on social media and then transformed into a legal battle for her custody. It became fodder for television talking heads and social media pundits alike.

Till the time the courts decide on her fate, let us recap what had happened and when it had happened in a case that had gripped everyone.

The disappearance

April 20, 2022

Additional Inspector General of Police and presently Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon constituted three special teams to trace the girl. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also takes notice of the case after outrage on social media.

April 23, 2022

Police investigators sought technical aid from intelligence agencies for the girl’s recovery.

April 25, 2022,

Sindh Chief Minister says investigators have traced the location of the girl, but maintains secrecy for privacy reasons. Meanwhile, a police statement also surfaces the same day, claiming she married of her own accord.

April 26, 2022

The girl is produced before a judicial magistrate at Lahore’s Model Town Courts, where she said she had willingly entered into a marriage with a boy, Zaheer Ahmad, from Lahore. In light of her testimony, the magistrate allowed her to go with him. Earlier that day, she and Zaheer were recovered from Okara and handed over to the Lahore police.

May 7, 2022

Karachi police issues interim challan against four suspects, including Zaheer and three others present at the time of the solemnization of the marriage. They were charged with abduction, rape, and forced marriage.

May 8, 2022

The girl’s father Mehdi Ali Kazmi moves to Sindh High Court to file a petition seeking an end to the marriage, saying his daughter is underage.

May 11, 2022

SHC orders authorities including the Sindh prosecutor general to file comments on the case till May 19.

May 20, 2022

Sindh Police seek the girl’s medical examination, but the judicial magistrate in Lahore dismisses their petition.

May 24, 2022

SHC directs the interior secretary to expedite the process of finding the girl and asks authorities to produce the “abducted” girl by May 30.

May 28, 2022

SHC bench expresses its concern on the snail-paced investigation and warns the Sindh inspector general police and other police officials of action if the girl was not presented in front of the court within two days.

May 31, 2022

IGP Sindh is sent a show-cause notice for not “honoring” court orders on recovering the teenager. The SHC bench also issued orders to present the abducted girl before them no later than June 3.

June 5, 2022

Lahore police recover the girl and her alleged husband Zaheer from Bahawalnagar, and hand them over to the Sindh police who bring the couple to Karachi for trial in the SHC.

June 6, 2022

Sindh police produce the teenager and her alleged husband Zaheer in the SHC, and the court orders that the girl be taken to a shelter home for medical tests to determine her age. Meanwhile, she also records her statement in front of the SHC bench, “I was not kidnapped. I married Zaheer of my free will and want to live with him”.

June 8, 2022

In a final ruling on the case, the SHC orders that the girl is free to decide her fate and has the autonomy to choose to live with whoever she wants. The court also ordered that the evidence does not qualify for this to be a kidnapping case.

June 16, 2022

Sindh police the SHC to cancel the FIR on her case and allow the acquittal of Ghulam Mustafa and Ali Asghar, as the verdict defies kidnapping charges.

June 18, 2022

The girl’s father approaches the Supreme Court to challenge SHC’s verdict in the case.

June 23, 2022

Five days later, the Supreme Court disposes of petition filed by her father after he withdraws it. Kazmi’s lawyer says they will now approach the high court for the constitution of a medical board, and also a family court to challenge the nikkahnama.

June 25, 2022

Karachi court orders Sindh police to continue investigation to determine the girl’s age, following which a 10-member medical board is constituted for this purpose.

June 28, 2022

The girl’s father moves a district and sessions court seeking replacement of the investigating officer of the case, argues that he is apparently investigating the matter in a biased manner.

June 29, 2022

First meeting of 10-member medical board to ascertain the girl’s age held. However, she does not appear before it.

July 2, 2022

The teenager is presented before the medical board constituted to determine her age.

July 3, 2022

Karachi court dismisses plea seeking removal of the investigating officer in the case.

July 4, 2022

Medical board concludes that the girl’s overall age is between 15-16 years. Her father’s lawyer says the girl’s statements and an earlier medical report which claimed she was 17 of age have been proven wrong.

July 6, 2022

The Sindh High Court issue notices to the interior ministry, provincial home department, police and others on a petition filed by the father of the girl, seeking her custody.

July 7, 2022

The Lahore High Court grants interim protective bail to Zaheer.

July 14, 2022:

A sessions court in Karachi rules that a nikkahkhawan (marriage registrar) should not merely accept oral entries regarding the age of a bride and groom, but should also verify an authentic official documentary proof of their age.

July 16, 2022

In a dramatic turn, police informs a sessions court in Karachi that 24 persons, including Zaheer, had been found involved in abducting her from Karachi and shifting her to Punjab, where they solemnized the illegal child marriage.

July 19, 2022

A district and sessions court in Lahore sends the girl to Darul Aman (shelter home) at her request, while on the same day, a sessions court in Karachi order removal of investigation officer as it hears a plea filed by the girl’s father.

July 23, 2022

A judicial magistrate in Lahore allows the Sindh police to take the custody of the girl from shelter home and safely produce her before a trial court of Karachi.

July 24, 2022

The girl was brought back to Karachi and placed to a child protection center in the city.

August 1, 2022

A judicial magistrate in Karachi bars the media from publishing a picture and name of the girl.

August 1, 2022:

East Judicial Magistrate dismissed an application filed by the investigating officer of a case seeking medical examination of teenage Dua Zehra to determine whether she was subjected to a sexual act following her alleged underage marriage.

Jan 6, 2023:

The Sindh High Court orders authorities to temporarily hand over the girl to her parents and observed that a decision regarding her “permanent custody” to the family will be taken by a trial court.