Dua Zehra, the 14-year-old
girl who had gone missing from Karachi last month but later revealed that she
had run away to marry the man of her choice, has recently said in a video
message that the couple's life is in danger. In the video message,
Dua maintained that she had willingly left Karachi to marry Zaheer Ahmed,
21, and was living a "happy and peaceful life in Lahore along with
her husband and in-laws." She said that despite the Constitution and the
law of the country allowing her to "marry anyone I want" and
"live wherever I want", the Punjab and Sindh police were
"harassing her" and were "carrying out an illegal search to
recover her." The teenager refuted claims being made on social media that
her in-laws were part of some trafficking gang and said that they were
"respectable people" and "better than my parents." She also
maintained that she does not wish to go to Karachi as she was happy in her
husband's Lahore home. "I had recorded a statement in the court in favour
of my husband and had left a letter for my parents before leaving, explaining
the reasons behind my decision to marry him," she said, adding that
despite her informing them, her parents went ahead and filed a missing person
case to recover her. "Our lives are in danger. If anything happens to us,
the Sindh police, Punjab police, and my parents will be
responsible." The father of Dua Zahra has approached the Sindh High Court
for the recovery of his daughter as he claims she was underage. According to
the law in Sindh, marriage before the age of 18 is illegal, while the age limit
in Punjab is 16 years. The Sindh High Court has issued notices to all parties
concerned, including the girl's husband, on the petition filed by Dua Zahra's
father for her recovery.
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