Qarshi Industries has released a statement denying any involvement with the viral Dua Zehra interview. The syrup maker was widely accused of product placement in an alleged human trafficking case when its popular drink Jam-e-Shirin appeared prominently on the table between hosts and guests.
Dua Zehra Interview Endorses Jam-e-Shirin
The interview was conducted by a content creator named Zunaira Mahum who invited Dua Zehra and her alleged husband Zaheer Ahmad. Dua went missing from Karachi in April and later surfaced in Lahore with a husband. She claimed that she eloped with her online boyfriend of 3.5 years and got married. Whereas, her parents suspect that she has been kidnapped and forced to follow whatever she’s told.
The controversy led many to criticize the brand for its alleged association. Qarshi responded that it did not know anything about the use of its product in this video. It also warned that “appropriate action will be taken”.
Response from Supporters of Dua Zehra
The public is still divided on the matter as the court has also allowed Dua to choose whether she wanted to live with her parents or Zaheer Ahmad. Many came forward to support Dua and criticize their parents, calling them “typical desi parents” who want to impose their own decision on children and cannot tolerate their happiness. Her father vowed to keep pursuing the case as her family wanted their daughter back. Dua accused her father of physically abusing her in an attempt to get her married as a part of a land deal in an elite housing society, DHA.
Dua’s supporters despise her parents and believe that she did the right thing by leaving and taking a stand for herself.
Is it a Human Trafficking Case?
Meanwhile, many others have felt that the video seemed off from the start. Viewers noted several inconsistencies such as a cushion under Dua, the host leading the interview, signaling toward Jam-e-Shirin, and Dua claiming she went from Karachi to Lahore without money. May also called it out as a child marriage as the real age of Dua is also not clear. There are two documents submitted to the court of different ages. One claims that she is 16 years old and the other one claims that she’s 18.
It is still not clear who is right or wrong but till further evidence, the court has allowed Dua to stay with her husband.
Here is the full video of the interview:
