Islamabad (Turkiye Khabar) The Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan has ordered that Ayesha Tariq, the girl who accepted Islam, be shifted to a shelter home in Lahore and directed that a medical test be conducted within one week to determine her age.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Aamer Farooq heard the case. During the hearing, the counsel for the parents argued that Ayesha was 15 years old and expressed concerns that she might already be married.
Appearing before the court, Ayesha Tariq stated that she had accepted Islam two years ago and said that if she had intended to marry, she would have done so earlier. She maintained that her actual age was 20 years, while her parents had registered her as younger.
Police officials informed the court that in the kidnapping case registered by the girl’s father, Ayesha’s age had also been mentioned as 18 years.
Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that a medical test should be conducted to determine her age. The parents’ lawyer argued that alterations in National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) records were not possible, therefore there was no need for a test.
In response, Justice Aamer Farooq observed that the assumption that NADRA records cannot be changed was incorrect. He remarked, “This is Pakistan, anything can happen here,” adding that unfortunately such matters do exist in society. The court observed that reliance could not be placed solely on NADRA records regarding age, as in some cases parents register their children as younger than their actual age.
During the hearing, Justice K K Agha asked that accepting Islam was a separate matter, but questioned the reason for leaving home. In response, Ayesha Tariq stated that her family had been pressuring her regarding her change of religion.
The court also asked Ayesha about her residence and employment, to which she replied that she works at a beauty parlor and resides there as well.
