Islamabad: A Pakistani court has ordered the police to take into custody a man accused of kidnapping, forcibly converting and marrying a 13-year-old Christian child until the next hearing in the case later this week.
Azhar Ali, 44, will be presented before the Sindh High Court in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on November 5, the child’s parents’ lawyer told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. Court documents confirmed the development.
Aarzoo Raja’s parents have accused Ali of violating Pakistani laws against child marriage, and of forcibly converting their child to Islam.
“Police have confirmed that they have Azhar [Ali] in custody and they produced him in court today asking for a remand,” Jibran Nasir told Al Jazeera by telephone.
Aarzoo, 13, was taken into protective custody on Monday, authorities said, after the court ordered that she be taken to a women’s shelter pending further investigation in the case.
