Karachi Court Upholds Dua Zehra’s Marriage, Dismisses Suit Challenging Nikah
Dua Zehra's family had filed a petition for the annulment of her marriage, claiming it was not valid.
A Karachi court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Dua Zehra, a teenage girl who was allegedly kidnapped from Karachi and later married Zaheer Ahmed in Punjab in 2022.
The court on Saturday ruled that the marriage between Dua Zehra and Zaheer Ahmed is valid, rejecting her petition to declare the Nikahnama (marriage contract) as forged and void.
Dua Zehra had claimed that the marriage was a result of fear, pressure, duress, and coercion and that she was underage at the time of the marriage.
However, the court declared the marriage valid and advised that if she wishes to annul the marriage, she should approach the relevant legal forum for dissolution.
After examining the record and hearing both sides, Civil Judge & Judicial Magistrate (East) Mohammad Nouman Jatoi dismissed the suit for jactitation of marriage.
“It is hereby adjudged and decreed that the marriage between the contracting parties so also the Nikahnama is hereby declared as valid, while the prayer regarding restraining the defendant is hereby dismissed. However, the plaintiff has other liberty to approach the concerned court regarding the dissolution of marriage,” the court order said.
Dua Zehra, a girl from Karachi, went missing on April 16, 2022, and was later found married to Zaheer Ahmed in Okara, Punjab. She initially claimed she had married of her own free will, stating she was 18 years old, but her parents argued she was a minor based on NADRA records, which indicated she was born in April 2008, making her around 14 years old at the time of marriage.
The Sindh High Court had previously ruled that Dua was free to decide her fate, and the Lahore High Court also stopped police from harassing Zaheer’s family, finding no evidence of abduction.
However, later investigations suggested that Dua was abducted and subjected to underage marriage, involving multiple individuals.
In January 2023, the SHC granted interim custody of the girl to her parents, and later, a family court permanently handed over custody to them, observing: “The welfare of the minor is best served by placing her permanent custody with her biological parents until she reaches the age of majority.”
On the other hand, Zaheer Ahmed, along with his relatives and other persons, has also been facing trial before a sessions court under various provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013.
However, the case of Dua Zehra has been highly controversial and has involved several legal proceedings.
