Missing Karachi teen girl found married in Rahim Yar Khan

A teenage girl who went missing in Karachi's Abbas Town has been discovered to have allegedly married in Punjab's Rahim Yar Khan.

According to reports, Asma, an eighth-grade student, had not returned home after she went to visit a friend on the second day of Eid (April 11).

Media reports highlight underage marriage as a significant issue faced by minorities in the country, with the Dua Zehra case being particularly prominent in recent times.

Last year, the Sindh High Court permitted Dua Zehra to return home with her parents, directing them to ensure her complete protection and submit a surety of Rs1 million.

Asma's family reported her disappearance to the Sachal Police Station after their efforts to locate her failed. They alleged that the police station did not take immediate action to recover their daughter.

The complaint was filed under Section 365 B (kidnapping, abducting, or inducing a woman to compel for marriage, etc.) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The family suspects that a water supplier named Asif enticed Asma to leave the house. They claim to have traced Asif's elder brother Shabbir and handed him over to the police.

Shabbir reportedly confessed that his younger brother took the girl to Rahim Yar Khan. However, the family claims that the police later released him.

Following Shabbir's apprehension, the suspect's father contacted the girl's family via telephone and allowed them to speak to the teenage girl.

Concerned for Asma's safety, the family refuses to accept her underage marriage and reiterates their demands for the arrest of those involved and the recovery of their daughter.