Karachi (HRNW) Doctors in Karachi on Tuesday said that Dua Zehra Kazmi, the girl who had gone missing from Karachi in April but had later issued a video statement in which she claimed to have run away to marry 21-year-old Zaheer Ahmed, is probably between 16 and 17 years of age, a minor, but not yet old enough to acquire a computerized national identity card of her own.
An Age Certificate, issued by the office of the Police Surgeon in Karachi on Tuesday and available with media, showed that Dua Zehra had undergone tests to determine her age.
The tests were conducted on the directives of the Sindh High Court (SHC) to determine the teenager’s age since she claimed to be of legal age to marry of her free will while her parents claimed that the girl was 14-years-of-age, too young to contract a free-will marriage without their consent as per the law.
The ossification test of Dua Zehra was performed at the Civil Hospital Karachi by Woman Medico-Legal Officer (WMLO) Dr Laraib Gul on Monday. The test included x-rays conducted at the hospital’s Radiology Department.
The certificate said that it was the opinion of Radiology Chief Dr Saba Jameel that the density of Dua Zehra’s bones was not that of a 14-year-old. “Bone age is between 16 to 17 years,” read the certificate.
The chief radiologist further suggested that the girl’s age was more towards 17 years of age.
The SHC had ordered to carry out the medical test of Dua Zehra within two days and produce her before the court on June 8. The SHC has maintained that it wanted to medically determine Dua Zehra’s age first before taking a final decision.
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