G-B court orders police to present ‘abducted’ minor girl by April 2

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court’s Chief Justice Ali Baig ordered the police on Wednesday to ensure the production of 13-year-old Falak Noor, who was allegedly abducted on January 20 and forcibly married, by April 2.

The order came during the hearing of a petition filed by a legal team from the GB High Court Bar, representing Falak Noor’s father.

The petition names five accused and five police officials as respondents, requesting the chief court to direct the police to immediately recover Falak Noor, declare her marriage null and void, and determine her age through a medical examination.

According to the petition, the girl was abducted from Gilgit on January 20 and later taken to Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where she was forced into a marriage with Fareed Alam, a resident of Gilgit.

Advocate Ehsan Ali, a member of the legal team, criticized the police for their inaction, particularly highlighting the role of the SSP and the additional SHO of Danyore police station for allegedly failing to pursue the case despite knowing the accused’s identities and locations. He warned of potential contempt of court proceedings should the police fail to comply by April 2.

SSP Gilgit Muhammad Ayaz responded to the court’s order, stating the police’s intention to comply with the chief court’s directive despite an earlier request by the session court for the girl’s production on April 6. He emphasized the police’s commitment to adhering to the court orders.

In a show of solidarity and concern, rights activists, politicians, and members of civil society groups convened outside the Gilgit Press Club, demanding the swift recovery of the minor girl. The protesters later march from the Press Club to the G-B Chief Minister’s House.

Body of missing girl found

Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan Rescue 1122 retrieved the body of a missing girl from a river near Danyore following a distress call to the control room. Rescue 1122 shifted the body to the provincial headquarters hospital for a post-mortem.

The deceased was identified as Anara, 18, daughter of Javed, who had been missing from Syedabad Danyore since March 7.

Her relatives had filed a missing person report on March 8 with the Danyore Police Station. The deceased, originally hailing from Yasin, Ghizer, was engaged some four months ago in Danyore. The police are currently treating the case as a probable suicide, as stated by Danyore Police Station House Officer Syed Kamran. The deceased was engaged some four months ago.