- Dua Zahra undergoes X-ray, dental tests.
- Her reports are expected within four days.
- Police bring Zahra from Lahore to Karachi.
KARACHI: Teenager Dua Zahra underwent various tests on Saturday as authorities try to determine her age in line with court orders.
The Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) had taken Dua Zahra — who had gone missing from her Karachi residence in April but was later found to have married Zaheer Ahmed in Lahore — into its custody from Lahore and brought her to Karachi earlier today for an ossification test.
The test to determine her age is being conducted once again after her father challenged an earlier test that revealed that the girl’s age was between 16 and 17.
The sources said X-ray and some other tests were conducted at the Services Hospital, while dental tests were conducted at another hospital. Following this, the police brought her back to Services Hospital.
According to the sources, the medical board, which was constituted last week for determining her age, has summoned her father. They said that the reports of her tests will be available within four days.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) had on June 8 said that the teenager, who claims she entered into marriage with Ahmed of her own will, was free to decide her fate.
Her father Mehdi Ali Kazmi challenged the SHC order in the Supreme Court but it was disposed of on June 23 as it did not fall under the jurisdiction of the top court.
During the SC hearing, a three-member bench had asked the father to approach relevant forums for the formation of a medical board to ascertain Zahra’s age.
Then, on June 25, Judicial Magistrate-XXIV Aftab Ahmed Bughio directed the Sindh health secretary to decide within a week on the application filed by Kazmi calling for a medical board to determine his daughter’s age as he insisted that she was a minor.
Subsequently, a 10-member medical board was then formed by the Sindh Health Department, which is headed by Dow Medical College Principal Professor Saba Sohail and includes experts in radiology, gynaecology, dentistry, and forensics.
Plea for changing IO rejected
The Additional District and Sessions Judge East earlier today rejected Zahra’s father’s appeal to change the investigation officer (IO) probing her alleged abduction.
The court noted that the judicial magistrate hearing her case has not announced a verdict based on the IO’s challan.
Even if the challan is accepted, the petitioner has the right to appeal, the court said.
The issue to determine her age is still pending with the medical board, it further observed.
Zahra’s father had last week filed a plea in the district and sessions court through his lawyer, seeking a replacement of the IO. He claimed that the officer was probing the case in a “biased manner”.