Daily Times

The Dua Zehra case has triggered an acrimonious debate across the country due to its enigmatic nature. Distraught parents are reluctant to give up and are taking every possible step to get their daughter back. This article is an attempt to undertake the content analysis and to question various statements and actions of Dua. In Pakistan, According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 (which was later amended by section 12 of the Muslim Family Law ordinance 1961), the minimum age for a female to get married is sixteen years and 18 years for a male. In 2014, Sindh Assembly through Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act brought the age of females at par with males: 18 years. In 2015, Punjab Assembly passed Punjab Marriage Restraint Act 2015 by amending the Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 1971. This amendment mainly focused on imprisonment and fines but the age limit remained the same. So, 16 years of age is required to get married for a female. Now, a question arises, who will ascertain the age: NADRA record or medical tests? Dua’s family claims that official documents prove that Dua is not eligible for marriage; she is underage.

On the other hand, LHC simply overrode the official documents and ordered a medical examination to ascertain Dua’s age. This decision of LHC has seriously questioned the credibility of the NADRA record. Another important question is what is the credibility of the medical Test? Is it accurate? Mind sciences expert Dr Moiz Hussain maintains that Pakistan does not possess the equipment to determine the real age. Using his expertise, Dr Moiz has beautifully analyzed the first interview of Dua taken by Zunaira Maham. Dr Moiz has raised four important points which are intriguing: the first point is how can Zunaira get access to Zaheer’s house? But others are not allowed. One would rephrase the words of Dr Moiz that why are only uncritical journalists getting access to Zaheer’s house? Why are other journalists who can ask difficult questions barred from taking Dua and Zaheer’s interview? Secondly, Dr Moiz, as an expert, maintains that Dua was lacking eye contact which shows that she was lying. Thirdly, Dr Moiz says that Dua was wringing her hands while the interview which indicates nervousness and anxiety. Fourthly, Dr Moiz says that Zunaira Maham seemed comfortable, it may be possible in two cases: if Zunaira was familiar with the Zaheer’s family or the interview was premeditated. In one’s view, Dr Moiz’s points carry weight because he is an expert, not a layman. One fact glares out that whether Dua is physically mature or not, mentally she is innocent and immature.

The whole journey of Dua from Karachi to Lahore is full of contradictions.

For further illustration, one would analyze Dua’s interview with Zunaira Maham. Some of the important points are taken to ponder over. The first important point is Dua’s journey to Lahore. She said that I took a rickshaw from my house and reached a Taxi Stand. Then, I took a Taxi which helped me to reach Lahore University. I did not have a phone, and some students at the gate of the University helped me contact Zaheer. I did not have money. Zaheer paid the taxi fare which was Rs22000. The second point was that Zaheer and his family had no idea of my arrival. The third point is that I saw Zaheer in Lahore for the very first time. The fourth point is that Zaheer’s mother is a nice lady. Furthermore, Interviewer Zunaira Maham also seconded Dua’s point about Zaheer’s mother.

Analysis: The whole journey of Dua from Karachi to Lahore is full of contradictions. Firstly, she said that she took a Taxi to reach Lahore and she did not have any money. This statement of Dua does not pass the test of rationality and makes her stance hollow. How can we expect that a taxi driver brought her to Lahore, despite knowing she did not have money? At least he should have demanded half of the total fare. How can a little girl travel more than 1200kms with a taxi driver without any fear? How can a taxi driver agree to go with a young girl? Secondly, Dua said that Zaheer and his family had no idea about her arrival. If Zaheer was unaware of her arrival, then how did he manage the Rs22000 on the spot? It is unlikely to believe that the Taxi driver gave him much time to manage the fare. Thirdly, if Zaheer’s mother was a nice lady and she did not know about Dua’s arrival, then she should have contacted her parents.

Had Zaheer’s mother some grace, she would have contacted her parents. His mother’s silence is indicative of her plan to trap Dua. Fourthly, Dua said that she met Zaheer in Lahore for the first time. How can Dua believe in a person she did not see physically? It may be possible in a way if Zaheer and Dua were in contact for a long time and Zaheer following his plan emotionally blackmailed her or prompted her to take this step. Usually, the predators use emotionalism as a weapon to get desired results from girls. Most probably, the emotional blackmailing, innocence, and immaturity of Dua pushed her into hot water. Another question is that if they were in contact then what was the source? Her father showed her Samsung Galaxy Tab A in a video and claimed that it did not have a SIM card slot. Dua said that Zaheer and she had developed a friendship through PUBG. In this age of technology, SIM card is not the only source of contacting each other. Games like online Ludo are playing important role in developing friendships. Online games like Ludo provide a platform to send messages and PUBG-like games help to talk.

Palpably, Dua went missing on April 16 and news akin to her Nikah appeared on April 25. She remained for almost a week under the control of Zaheer’s family. This time of a week is enough to blackmail and train her on desired lines. A video has surfaced of a person who claims to be a school friend of Zaheer. When a question related to Zaheer’s character was asked, he said that as a school friend of Zaheer, he found him a shameless person. He further said that Zaheer was habitual to trap girls even during his school times. He also said that Zaheer had relations with notorious groups which could support him.

Conclusion: One deduces that Dua and Zaheer must have a source of contact: such as different games or social media apps. Zaheer and his family could be professional in trapping girls. Furthermore, the possibility of planning to trap Dua cannot be rejected. It is impossible to believe that Dua went to Lahore by taxi. Rather, it is highly likely that Zaheer or his gang members picked up Dua from Karachi. It is also one of the possibilities that Zaheer emotionally prompted Dua to take this step. Dua was lacking maturity and Zaheer possibly took advantage of this. The Zaheer family may have nexus with Mafias outside the country. Dua’s case is not as simple as it seems. It demands immediate criminal investigation otherwise it will be too late.

The writer is a graduate of Quaid-I- Azam University, Islamabad.