SHC disposes of Arzoo Fatima case; sends girl to shelter home
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The Sindh High Court Monday ordered to shift Christian girl, who reportedly converted to Islam, and contracted a free-will marriage Arzo Fatima to Darul Aman (shelter home), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The court also disposed of the case related to giving security to the newly-converted Muslim girl.
The two-judge bench was headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha heard the case.
The TV channel reported that Arzo Fatima has also contracted with coronavirus. Police presented a case challan in the court and the court ordered authorities to shift Arzo Fatima to Darul Aman upon her refusal to go with parents.
The court has ordered the Home Department to arrange a daily one-hour meeting with Arzo Fatima for her counselling. While education arrangements will also be provided to the girl.
A prosecutor presenting the argument in the court said this case is about underage marriage and not about adduction and the marriage registrar and other accused nominated in the case have availed bail from the court while two accused are on the run.
On that, the court asked what efforts have been made to arrest the accused as it is the prosecutor’s responsibility.
The Anti-violent Crime Cell of police has also completed its investigation into the alleged abduction and the underage marriage of the minor Christian girl who converted to Islam and has submitted the challan in a lower court in this regard.
The police have nominated four persons as accused in the case including Arzoo Fatima’s husband Azhar Ali, marriage registrar Abdul Rasool, lawyer Mahmood and his assistant Junaid while the names of three suspects have been excluded from the list over the lack of the evidence against them. Justice of Peace and witnesses have been declared as absconders in the challan.
The court also chided Arzoo Fatima’s lawyer for presenting unnecessary and out of turn arguments in the case warned him of initiating contempt of court proceedings against him. He prayed to the court
Her lawyer complained that the court was not hearing his point of view and asked the court to decide the matter as per Islamic jurisprudence as per the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
He prayed to the court to declare the FIR null and void. He told the court that according to the Supreme Court decision, Islamic Laws would be given preference over the International Laws.
The court told the lawyer that it has decided on the matter and if he has any grievances he should appeal in the Supreme Court.
The court asked Arzoo whether she wants to go with her parents but the girl replied that she wanted to go with her husband. Upon this, the court ordered to send the girl to the shelter home.
Earlier, Sindh High Court ordered Arzoo Fatima back to a shelter home and ordered the investigation officer to continue proceeding with the investigation.
Earlier the investigation officer in the case has presented a report of a medical board constituted to determine the age of Arzoo that showed the girl is between 14 to 15 years of age.