Court gives girl in parents custody

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday handed over a girl to parents after assurance that she would not be harmed.

A single bench of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan also rejected the bail petition of accused Zahid Jamal after the girl Sabiha Gul told the court that she had not eloped but was forcibly married after abduction.

The police had arrested Zahid Jamal, a resident of Nowshera, in the abduction and forced marriage of the girl. The accused had filed a bail petition in the court with a claim that he had not abducted the girl but she left her home on her own free will and married him. However, after the arrest, the girl was shifted to women crisis centre.

On previous hearing, the court had directed to produce the girl for recoding her statement in the court.On Monday, the girl recorded her statement and informed the bench that she was abducted by the accused while going to Madrassa from her house and the accused then married her by force.

After the girl statement, the court dismissed bail petition of the accused and handed over girl to parents in protective bail with the direction that parents will be held responsible for any harm to the girl.