Dua Zahra life now: How she is living with her parents after 2022 case

Dua Zahra, whose disappearance in 2022 became one of Pakistan’s most widely discussed cases, is now living with her parents and sister in Karachi, continuing her education and building a new life after years of public attention and legal proceedings.
Dua Zahra is now 20 years old and is living at home with her parents and sister. She is studying pre-medical at college and is also making video blogs with her sister. More than four years after the events that changed her life, Dua says she is now receiving respect and positive support from people around her.
“People now watch my vlogs and recognise me. My friends, teachers and relatives treat me with respect and love,” she told BBC Urdu.
Dua’s life became the centre of national attention in April 2022, when her father, Mehdi Kazmi, reported her missing in Karachi. A few days later, a video appeared in which Dua said that she had left home by her own choice and had married in Lahore.
The case later became a legal dispute over her age and other issues. After she was recovered from Lahore, medical examinations were ordered by the court. She was eventually brought back to Karachi in July 2022 and placed in a child protection centre. In January 2023, the Sindh High Court temporarily handed her over to her parents, while the final decision was left to the trial court. She has lived with her parents since then.
Today, Dua says her relationship with her parents has remained strong. She says her parents supported her throughout the difficult period and gave her more love and respect after she returned home.
“My parents loved me before, and after I came back home, they gave me even more love and respect,” she said.
For Dua’s mother, Saima Kazmi, the most important thing was that her daughter was alive and eventually returned home. She recalled the difficult days after Dua disappeared in 2022, saying that she searched for her daughter in many places and even checked water tanks at people’s homes.
When she learned that Dua was alive, she said her first reaction was gratitude. She did not focus on what her daughter had said in the video at that time. Her only concern was that her daughter was alive.
Dua’s father, Mehdi Kazmi, also says he is happy that his daughter is now sitting with him at home, even though the legal case is still continuing in a Karachi court. He said hearings are held roughly every two months, but they are often postponed when people from the opposing side do not appear.
The experience has also changed the way Dua looks at her future. She says that starting normal life again after going through a difficult experience is not easy. She now wants to focus on what lies ahead instead of remaining trapped in the past.
Dua is continuing her pre-medical education and hopes to do something for Pakistan in the future. She also has a specific ambition: she wants to join the Pakistan Navy as an officer.
Her family life has therefore taken a different direction from the intense public attention of 2022. She now lives with the people who spent months searching and waiting for her return. She is studying, making vlogs with her sister and trying to create a new identity for herself.
Dua says her focus is now on the future rather than the past. Her story, once largely discussed by courts, media and the public, is now increasingly being told in her own words.