Arzoo, a teenage Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being forcefully converted and married to a Muslim man, has been recovered, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab announced through a tweet on Monday evening. It is to note that Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Monday said that the Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered that Arzoo be recovered and shifted to a shelter home. Acting Karachi police chief Additional IG Arif Hanif confirmed that the 13-year-old girl had been recovered safely and her purported husband had also been arrested. The city police chief said the girl would be sent to a shelter home as per the directions of the Sindh High Court (SHC) while the suspect would be presented before the court today. “The judge has ordered the girl be recovered by police and relevant agencies and shifted to a shelter home. Next hearing fixed for Thursday morning [November 5]. My lawyer has informed the court that an intervener will be filed on my behalf,” Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said in a tweet. Activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir — who is part of the legal team fighting the case on behalf of Arzoo’s parents — also confirmed the development, adding that the SHC had directed that the girl be produced before the court at the next hearing. He said the court in the meantime has ordered that a medical test be conducted to determine the girl’s age. The court noted that issues to be addressed are the girl’s age, whether she was forcibly converted and if her marriage is legal, he said. Sindh government spokesperson Wahab added that the court had issued the directives on an application filed by the provincial government. The alleged abduction of 13-year-old Arzoo last month had sparked protests from human rights groups against her purported forced conversion and underage marriage with a Muslim man. According to the first information report of the case registered on his complaint, Arzoo’s father Raja stated that on October 13, he and his wife went to work while their son Shahbaz had gone to school.
