KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday came down hard on the inspector general of police for failing to trace out Dua Zehra and Nimra Kazmi, the two teenage girls who were allegedly kidnapped in Karachi and later surfaced in Punjab, directing him to recover and produce them in court on May 30.

A two-judge bench comprising by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Agha Faisal expressed dissatisfaction over a progress report and observed that the court was being told same stories on every hearing.

The bench warned the IGP-Sindh and other police officials of action if the girls were not produced on the next hearing.

The court directed the interior secretary to facilitate the Sindh police in the recovery of the two girls.

When the bench took up for hearing a petition filed by mother of Nimra Kazmi who went missing on April 20 from her house in Saudabad, it observed that on May 20, the investigating officer of the case had submitted that he was waiting for the permission from the Punjab home department to carry out a raid for the recovery of Nimra.

Unhappy with progress, SHC orders interior secretary to facilitate Sindh police to produce Dua, Nimra on 30th

The bench said that on May 25, the IO told the court that the abductee girl would appear before a judicial magistrate in Taunsa Sharif, Dera Ghazi Khan, on May 26 to record her statement under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code and thereafter, she would be taken into protective custody and police would produce her before the SHC on May 30.

However, on Friday the IO could not produce the girl and submitted that one of the nominated accused had been arrested and information gleaned from him would lead to the recovery of the missing girl.

“We are not satisfied with the progress and the stories IO is telling us on each date of hearing,” the bench stated in its order.

The court adjourned the hearing to May 30 and observed that the petition seeking recovery of Dua Zehra was also fixed on the same day.

“A last chance is being given to IG Sindh to recover the girls and produce them before the SHC on next hearing,” it added.

The IO in his report submitted that the police conducted raided in Taunsa Sharif and on May 26, they were at the court of a magistrate, but the girl did not appear to record her statement.

The petitioner submitted that she came to know through social media that Nimra had allegedly contracted marriage with Najeeb Shahrukh, a resident of Tunsa Sharif.

She stated that the age of the girl on the day of the alleged marriage was 14, as she was born on Jan 6, 2008 and the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act (SCMRA) 2013 did not permit marriage of any minor/underage person.

On May 24, the same bench had directed the IG-Sindh for the recovery of Dua Zehra and asked the interior secretary to issue directions to all relevant law enforcement agencies to extend cooperation with the Sindh police for the recovery of the girl.

The Sindh police chief had assured the bench that they would be able to trace out the girl and produce her before the SHC within a week.

Dua’s father Mehdi Ali Kazmi had approached the SHC stating that his daughter went missing from their Malir home on April 16.

He submitted that the age of his daughter was 13 and under the SCMRA 2013 it was illegal to marry with a minor/underage.

The petitioner further said that he came to know through social media that her daughter had allegedly contracted marriage with a resident of Lahore.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2022