No evidence of Dua Zahra's kidnapping found, say police

• No evidence of Dua Zahra's kidnapping found, says police.
• Police requests case be classified as C-class.
• Court also states it has decided to dismiss Zahra's father's plea for recovery.

KARACHI: In a significant development, the police on Thursday submitted a new challan to a judicial magistrate in Karachi East in a case involving the alleged abduction of Dua Zahra, who had mysteriously gone missing from Karachi in April but later declared that she had run away from her home to marry 21-year-old Zaheer Ahmed.

According to the new challan, no evidence of Dua Zahra's kidnapping was found. According to the interrogations so far, the Karachi girl went to Punjab on her own and tied the knot.

In addition to this, the Karachi police stated that her 'nikkah' was not performed in Sindh. The suspects in the case are exempt from Section 216 of the Sindh Child Act because they married in Punjab, according to the challan.

The police also stated that the two arrested suspects, Ghulam Mustafa and Ashar, were found innocent and requested that they be released by the court.

The police requested that the case be classified as C-class.

According to the police challan, Dua Zahra was apprehended in Punjab's Chishtian on June 5 and brought before the Sindh High Court on June 6.

SHC lets Dua Zahra decide her fate

On June 8, the SHC granted Dua Zahra the right to choose whether she wants to go with her parents or with her husband.

In a three-page written order, Justice Junaid Ghaffar stated that the verdict was based on the testimony. "Based on the evidence, this is not a kidnapping case."

"...the alleged/minor Dua E Zahra Kazmi is set at liberty to decide with whom she intends to reside and go along," the order stated.

The court also stated in the order that it has decided to dismiss Zahra's father's — Mehdi Ali Kazmi — petition for her recovery because his daughter's case was not one of kidnapping.