Dua Zehra: A Case Study

Dua Zehra is a name that has shaken the hearts of every parent in Pakistan.  This is a case that has gone from bad to worse.  Before the constraints found in this case, I will give a little information about Dua Zehra. 

This happened on the afternoon of April 16 when a girl from Karachi named Dua Zehra was found missing her father Syed Mehdi Ali Kazmi reported her disappearance to the police station and the whole nation went for her daughter.  All in all, pray for Dua Zehra to be recovered as soon as possible.  According to the parents, Dua Zehra went out of the house to throw garbage but did not return.  On April 22, the police came across a video in which she was going somewhere in a car of her own free will.  This creates more ambiguity in the case and this case seems to be a kidnapping. 

On April 25, it was revealed that this is not a case of kidnapping but Dua Zehra ran away from home and married a boy from Lahore.  And in the marriage certificate, the age of the girl is written as 18 years.  On April 26, police recover Dua Zehra and present her in court.  Dua would have stated in court that her father wanted to force her to marry his cousin Zainul Abidin, so he ran away from home and got married to Zaheer, a boy from Lahore.  Police further requested the court to allow Dua Zehra to be kept in Dar-ul-Aman until the case will be done.

On May 9, Zaheer was arrested on the grounds that the marriage certificate was forged.  Because the age limit for marriage is sixteen years while the age of Dua Zehra is 14 years according to the documents provided by the parents.  On May 20, the court ordered the police to produce Dua Zehra in court.  On June 6, the court ordered an ossification (bone test) for Dua Zehra’s age to determine her actual age.  On June 7, the police present the report of the bone test to determine the age of Dua Zehra in the court.  The ossification test shows that Dua Zehra’s bone density is between 16 and 17 years.  The court, seeing Dua Zehra’s statement and test report, dismissed the case from the court and allowed Dua Zehra to go with her husband.

Dua Zehra’s father questioned the decision of the Sindh High Court in the petition and maintained that the report of Dua Zehra’s medical examination was not prepared by the medical board.

• The petition filed by Dua’s father said that under Section 491 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Article 199 of the Constitution, can a court allow a minor to decide freely using his jurisdiction?  
• The medical board did not prepare the report of the ossification test to assess the age. Is this not a violation of the law?
• Isn’t it a violation of the law to link real controversy to the issue of age using Article 199 of the Constitution?
• He asked whether the court had failed to provide a free environment free from the influence of the alleged abductor before recording the statement of the alleged abductee.
• Has the esteemed court violated the law in the order relying on the statement of the alleged minor abductee?
• Why did the court give preference to medical evidence on the basis of tests when there was documentary evidence?

A Matter of Mind-boggling Ambiguities:

In all these cases, from the beginning, Dua Zehra’s father has insisted that his daughter has been abducted.  However, the court decided on the basis of the girl’s statement and her age test and handed over the girl to her husband.  This case has created such mind-boggling ambiguities that every Pakistani parent has become anxious. 

• The first question that arises is whether the friendship formed on the mobile phone has become so strong that the parents who gave birth to Dua Zehra, she has forgotten them to such an extent that their honor has been shattered. 
• No one would give his daughter in marriage to a boy like Zaheer in such a way. But why she was so influenced by his personality.
• Why did the lawyer arrange a court marriage when there was no proof of the girl’s age? 
• When the girl is 14 years old and why the court did not accept the documents provided by her parents and asked for an ossification test. 
• When the girl is 14 years old, how are the Pakistani hospitals where her age has been made from 16 to 17 years? 
• Why was Dua’s attitude towards his parents so bad in the whole case?

The conclusion from all over the Pakistan:

Behind all this, the nation draws three conclusions. 

1. The girl has fallen into the hands of a very big group and she has been kept under the influence of drugs and pressure. 
2. The attitude of the parents towards their daughter was unfair, so she completely wanted to run from their influence. This is not apparent from the behavior of their father because Syed Mehdi Ali Kazmi continuously tries to take back his daughter at every cost.
3. The girl is mentally and psychologically ill.

This case is mind shattering case for every parent, so everyone tries to care for their children so that they can avoid such kind of shameful and painful situations.