Two missing girls from Karachi found ‘married’ in Punjab

KARACHI/ LAHORE: In an unexpected twist in the case of mysterious disappearance of two girls — Dua Zehra Kazmi and Nimra Kazmi — from Karachi, the alleged ‘Nikahnama’ (marriage documents) of both the girls went viral on the internet on Monday with one of the girls also releasing a video clarifying that she had left her house willingly for marriage and she had not been kidnapped.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that another young woman has gone missing from the Soldier Bazaar area of the city. “My name is Nimra Kazmi and my father’s name is Nadeem Kazmi. No one has kidnapped me. I came here on April 17 and married Najeeb Shahrukh on April 18. I have requested the media to remove all my videos and photos,” Nimra, who went missing from Saudabad area of Karachi, said in the video statement. Her account, however, contradicts the version of her mother Nargis Nadeem Syed, a lady health worker, who told the Saudabad police that she went missing on April 20.

Nimra has also submitted an application to a court against police harassment. The video statement of Nimra went viral on social media shortly after the news of the recovery of the other disappeared girl, Dua, made the headlines on the news channels earlier in the day.

Both the girls from Karachi were traced in Punjab. Nimra was traced in Dera Ghazi Khan where she was found to have married a man, Najeeb Shahrukh, according to the Nikah Nama and court documents obtained by The News.

The other girl, Dua, was traced in Lahore after her Nikahnama, which went viral on social media, showed a Lahore address. According to the Nikahnama, Dua has married a man, Zaheer Ahmed, 21. Karachi police sources said the marriage document of Dua appeared to be genuine but the police were trying to further verify it.

The girl, however, is yet to be recovered. Although some media reports claimed that Dua had been found by the police, both the Sindh and Punjab police clarified that the girl had been ‘traced’ but she was yet to be ‘recovered’.

‘Underage marriages’ According to their families, both the girls are below 18 years, which means they cannot legally marry. Although the age of Dua is mentioned 18 years in her Nikah Nama, the family insists that the girl turned 14 a few days ago.

Similarly, Nimra is also 18 according to her marriage document, but her age was mentioned to be around 15 and 16 in the case registered by her mother at the Saudabad police station. If the families’ claims regarding the girls’ age are true, those who have ‘married’ them and their abettors are liable to face criminal proceedings over child marriage.

Not recovered

Whereas the case of Nimra appears to be solved after her video statement, that of Dua is still shrouded in mystery as she is yet to be recovered and the police are verifying her Nikah Nama.

Contrary to some media reports that claimed that Dua had been recovered, the DIG Operations Lahore Dr Abid Khan said the girl was yet to be recovered. “The facts will come to light after the recovery of [Dua] Zehra,” said the officer. He added that the Lahore police were in constant touch with the Karachi police and teams had been formed to find the girl.

According to the marriage certificate, the address of Dua has been registered as Talat Park, Sherakot, Lahore. Her Mehr was fixed at Rs50,000 and the witnesses of marriage were Shabbir and Asghar Ali, and it was solemnised by Hafiz Ghulam Mustafa, a resident of Mozang.

Dua’s father, Syed Mehdi Ali Kazmi, also stated that no one from the government or the police department had informed the family about the recovery of his daughter.

The Sindh police’s Criminal Investigation Agency chief, DIG Kareem Khan, said the police made great efforts to trace Dua as they had to examine dozens of CCTV videos, conduct ground mapping and record several statements.

A senior police official said that after Dua was recovered, a case would be referred to the Child Protection Unit and action would be taken against the ‘husband’ if she was found underage.

The case of Dua has become a high-profile case as several teams of multiple law enforcement agencies joined the investigations. The girl’s mother had also warned of committing public suicide if her daughter was not recovered.

The family claimed that the girl had reportedly stepped out of her house in Al-Falah Colony in Karachi to dispose of garbage when she went missing. The Karachi police also conducted a raid in connection with the case in Sanghar but found another young girl there instead of Dua.

Another disappearance

As Dua and Nimra were traced, a young woman was reported to have gone missing under mysterious circumstances in Karachi. The woman, Deenar, has been reported to be abducted in Soldier Bazaar and is said to be 25 years old. She reportedly went missing three days ago. Relatives of the woman filed a report with the Soldier Bazaar police on the same day she ‘disappeared’.

The missing woman’s brother stated that Deenar went to teach tuition classes on April 22 and did not return. Police said that the family had only registered a missing complaint and the police had assured them of registering an FIR. They added that investigators were trying to trace the woman with the help of her mobile phone data and CCTV footage.