"The hospital management told us she did not come to office."
Khush Bakht, aged 22, from Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, ran away to go and marry her lover in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
Bakht who works as a nurse had been missing for almost ten days before releasing a statement of her whereabouts.
Her disappearance sparked protests in the region where people were demanding for her safe return. The Gilgit-Baltistan government intervened to help track her down.
Khush issued a statement before Malir Police, stating that she married a man named Qurban out of her own free will.
The woman said she did not want to go back to her parents but instead preferred to live with her husband.
Khush worked as a Nursing Assistant at Saifee Hospital in Karachi. On January 4, 2019, she supposedly left for work in the morning but did not return home.
In actual fact, Khush had left to meet her lover Qurban.
Her relative asked staff members about her whereabouts but they were unsuccessful. A relative wrote on social media:
“The hospital management told us she did not come to office on the day she went missing.”
They went to the police to register an FIR, however, they initially refused to register a case. Following protests in Karachi, the police finally registered a case into her disappearance.
Farid Khan, an activist earlier said: “It’s been eight days since she went missing.
“Police didn’t register a case for two or three days initially despite many attempts by the relatives.”
Bakht’s sudden disappearance sparked panic in the region, with many people demanding for her safe recovery.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman took notice of this matter and spoke to Murad Ali Shah, asking him to ensure the safe and early recovery of the nurse. In a statement, Rehman said:
“Shah promised a prompt action into the matter. We are following it up with the Sindh government.”
Almost ten days after her disappearance, Khush revealed in a video statement, an update on her whereabouts.
She stated that she eloped to marry Qurban out of personal choice. Her statement was shared by Sindh Police on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/sindhpolicedmc/status/1084166070376775680
The statement was recorded at Malir Police Station. It is unclear how and where police officers intercepted the couple and took them to the station.
A police official said:
“From Karachi, they went to Multan where they tied the knot in a court marriage.”
“After which they moved to Muzaffargarh.”
While Khush has ensured that she is safe and is now married, her relatives were unaware of Qurban.
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