‘Missing’ Christian girl recovered, two held

HARIPUR: The police on Thursday recovered the missing Christian girl in Ghazi and arrested two persons in the alleged kidnapping case.

Police officials said that following a complaint from Noreen Maseeh and her husband Francis Maseeh, a criminal case under section 365-B, was registered against Zulqarnain and his father Zahid Iqbal on Wednesday.

The complainant had accused both father and son of kidnapping their underage daughter Princy from Mubin Banda in Ghazi on August 3. The complainant said that their daughter was 14-year-old and was not eligible for marriage medically and under the Pakistani law. The police officials said that during a raid, they recovered the girl and arrested Zulqarnain and his father from their home on Wednesday night.

The girl was produced before the court of a judicial magistrate in Haripur on Thursday where she recorded her statement under section 164 CrPc. She brushed aside the allegations that Zulqarnain had kidnapped her or she was forced on conversion.

The police officials said that the girl stated before the magistrate that she had contracted a court marriage in Swabi on her own free will after converting to Islam. “No one forced me. I have done it on my own free will and I have also changed my name as Zainab Bibi,” an official quoted the girl as saying.

She also confirmed that her dower was fixed as Rs400,000 and four tolas of gold jewellry.

She told the court that she wanted to live with her husband Zulqarnain; however, the court sent the girl to Darul Aman while Zainab’s husband Zulqarnain and his father Zahid Iqbal were sent to Haripur Central Jail on judicial remand.