SHC reserves verdict on petition for recovery of Dua Zehra

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) reserved its decision over a petition for recovery of Dua Zehra, the Karachi teenager abducted from the city in April, ARY News reported on Thursday.

A bench of the high court comprised of Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, will announce the verdict today.

Earlier, the lawyers of Sindh and federal government backed the plea for shifting Dua Zehra to Karachi. “The case has been under the hearing of court in Karachi, the girl should be shifted to Karachi under the state custody,” government counsel told the court.

Police produced accused Zaheer in the court for hearing.

On the question of Justice Iqbal Kalhoro, the petitioner’s lawyer said that Dua Zehra has been at shelter home in Lahore. “The police confessed that accused Zaheer was in Karachi at the time when Dua Zehra was abducted. The girl has no threat from the parents but feared life threat from her husband,” petitioner’s counsel said.

“The girl should be brought to Karachi, as the case has been in pending in the city, the city also have shelter home,” the bench observed. “There will be no threat to the girl in Karachi, as the shelter home would also have security arrangements,” the bench remarked.

“The girl’s parents are also residing in Karachi”.

In an interchange with the counsel of the accused, the court asked, “You want the girl should not be shifted to Karachi”. “The girl can not be shifted to Karachi,” defence counsel said. “No person can meet her, if she not wants to meet,” he argued. “Even the court could not ask the girl to meet some one,” counsel added.

“It has been proved that the girl is minor, her statement have no importance,” the bench observed. “We are not ordering for handing over her custody to the parents,” court said. “We want to keep the girl at the shelter home, where the case has been in pending,” the Justice remarked.