KARACHI, Feb 2: The Supreme Court asked a police officer and a provincial attorney on Friday ‘to arrange’ at 9.30am on Saturday, the production of a girl allegedly detained by her parents illegally after her free-will marriage.

Anam Anjum was directed to be produced on Friday and a Supreme Court bench at the court’s Karachi registry ordered that the inspector-general of police ‘shall appear in person and explain reasons for non-compliance’ if she was not produced on Saturday. Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Abdur Rehman Bhatti was asked to proceed with the recovery and production case filed by Kamran Ali, who claims to be the husband of the detainee, with ‘utmost’ dispatch. He could not satisfactorily explain why he proceeded on leave on the dates of hearing of the case.

Kamran Ali, who moved the court in its human rights jurisdiction, claimed that he and Anam Anjum contracted marriage on November 1, 2006. Anam’s father, Mehrab Gul, came to his house on the following day and requested him that his daughter should be allowed to visit her family for a week. Mehrab resisted her return later and confined her to his house. Kamran alleged that she was being tortured and was not being allowed to contact him on the phone. The petitioner, who was present in person, also said Mehrab took Anam to a family court for seeking dissolution of marriage but she refused.

The court ordered the IGP to recover the detained girl and produce her. Additional IG (Legal) Anwar Alam Subhani appeared on behalf of the IGP and expressed his helplessness. Additional Advocate-General Dr Qazi Khalid Ali represented the provincial government.