The Sindh High Court (SHC) has disposed of the plea seeking custody of Arzoo Masih – a teenage Christian girl who was married to a middle-aged man allegedly after being abducted and forcibly converted.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice KK Agha, heard the plea filed by Arzoo’s parents. The SHC had previously sent the girl to a shelter home after finding that she was underage and hence could not legally enter into a marriage. The court remarked that Arzo should file a plea herself if she wished to go with her parents. Her parents’ counsel, however, argued that the shelter home cannot provide good care to the teenage girl.
The bench remarked that the court had not restricted anyone and Arzoo could meet anyone she wants at the shelter home. The counsel informed the court that Arzoo’s parents wanted to file a plea for guardianship in a family court and prayed the court to pass an order declaring that the SHC had not restricted them from seeking Arzoo’s custody.
“Do you know what a guardianship case is? It is a case filed by one of the parents to get custody of the child when they have differences or dispute,” remarked Justice Sahito. The bench directed the petitioners to reach out to a family court if they wanted and disposed of the plea.
Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the SHC seeking a hearing on petitions pertaining to the Centre taking over Sindh’s islands.
The petition contends that the Attorney-General of Pakistan had assured the court that nothing would be done without consulting stakeholders, including the Sindh government and the local fishing community.
