LAHORE, Jan 25: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday decided that parents of a (sui juris) girl could not dictate her because she was free to exercise her right to choose.

The court decided this on a habeas corpus petition for the recovery of the girl, Nausheen Amin, from the custody of Rajgarh Darul Amaan for Women. Petitioner Muhammad Amin of Sanghla Hill had asked the court to help recover his daughter who “went missing a couple of weeks ago”.

“We had been looking for her and asked our relatives about her. Someone told us that she was at the Darul Amaan,” he said.

He said Darul Aman superintendent Ziaul Hasan allowed him to meet his daughter, but he did not allow him to take her back home.

Amin said his daughter was living in miserable conditions at the Darul Amaan, and the court should order her recovery immediately. On Jan 23, the court ordered the Darul Amaan administration to file a reply to the petition.

Appearing in the court on Friday, Nausheen said she had left her house because of domestic reasons. She refused to accompany her parents and sought marriage with the Darul Amaan superintendent.

The court directed her to make up her mind after having a short meeting with her parents also present in the court. After a short break, her parents appeared in the court and informed the judge that they would arrange her marriage with the superintendent.

Nausheen and her parents filed affidavits with the judge in support of their agreement.

Nausheen’s father said he would arrange her nikkah with the superintendent the same day and make arrangements for her rukhsati after a few days.

When the court sought the girl’s opinion, she also agreed to go with her father on the condition that her nikkah would be arranged the same day.