KARACHI: The Sindh government on Wednesday removed Police Surgeon Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad allegedly over not following and enforcing the due process in determining the age of Dua Zehra.
A notification issued by the Sindh Services and General Administration Department did not list the reason for his removal but officials say he was posted out for his alleged negligence in the age assessment of Dua Zehra.
Sindh Chief Secretary Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput has assigned Sindh Government Hospital Saudabad’s Additional Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed an additional charge of Police Surgeon Karachi.
The teenager, whose parents claim she is only 14, has told courts, including the Sindh Hight Court that she was 16-17 years old and left her parents’ home to contract a free-will marriage with Zaheer in Punjab.
Her parents, however, claimed that she had been abducted.
The ossification test of Dua Zehra was performed at the Civil Hospital Karachi by Woman Medico-Legal Officer (WMLO) Dr. Laraib Gul on Monday. The test included x-rays conducted at the hospital’s Radiology Department.
The test was ordered by the Sindh High Court which maintained that it wanted to medically determine Dua Zehra’s age first before taking a final decision.
According to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) whenever the court orders an age assessment, the police surgeon forms a medical board. The board includes a radiologist and an examining medico-legal officer.
The board then assesses the subject’s age under the direct supervision of the police surgeon. In the case of Dua Zehra, however, no medical board was constituted and a junior Woman Medico-Legal Officer (WMLO) was assigned to carry out the critical assessment.
Following the test, the age certificate was submitted to the Sindh High Court on Wednesday. The court allowed Zehra to exercise her free will after she stated under oath that she had not been abducted.
After the removal of Dr. Iftikahr Ahmed, Additional Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed, senior women medical office in grade 19, has been assigned to hold additional charge of police surgeon, a Sindh government notification said.
Dr. Iftikhar Hamed has been transferred and posted as chief superintendent of medical office urban health center 5C-3 Karachi.
