ISLAMABAD   -   Actress and model Sophia Mirza’s twin daughters have alleged that their mother told them to steal their passports, take money from their father and run away from their Dubai home. The 15-years-old twin sisters Zainab Umar and Zunairah Umar have spoken for the first time about their mother Sophia Miraz, 42, during an interview with a Pakistani TV channel and in a written affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.  Sisters Zainab Umar and Zunairah Umar said they were living in Dubai with their father Umar Farooq Zahoor happily and on their free will and allegations by their mother are false and fabricated that they are being held against their wishes. The 15-years-old twin sisters Zainab Umar and Zunairah Umar spoke out after Sophia Mirza held a press conference demanding the recovery of her two daughters from Dubai-based Norwegian Pakistani Farooq Zahoor, who is Liberia’s Ambassador at Large for Pakistan and South East Asia.

 Sophia Mirza, 42, held press conference after a major investigation published in a local news paper claimed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) targeted Umar Farooq Zahoor on a complaint by Sophia Mirza who filed a complaint against her former husband under the name of Khushbakht Mirza – without revealing at any stage that she was actually the former wife of Umar Zahoor. The FIA went on to investigate and issue Interpol Red Arrest Warrants against Zahoor in three cases which were already closed due to lack of evidence including a case in which NAB had cleared him.  The twin teenagers have negated claims made by their mother Khushbakht Mirza (known in the showbiz industry as Sophia Mirza) at the press conference, stressing that the model was holding media talks to gain publicity and win media sympathy. Sophia Mirza’s daughters said their mother came to Dubai multiple times in the last few years and despite being in constant contact with her daughters refused to meet them and ignored their requests to meet. “We requested our mother to see us when in Dubai but she ignored us.”  Zainab Umar and Zunairah Umar said they had chosen to live with their father in Dubai and were living with him happily and on their free will.  This publication also has a copy of a previous written affidavit provided by both sisters to the court, making serious allegations against their mother. In the written affidavit, signed separately by both sisters but carrying the same statement, the twin sisters said they have been living happily with their father for over 12 years in Dubai.  They said their mother, rather than visiting them, resorted to social media platforms and for several years, she has been “publicly uploading materials and making statements” to indicate that her two daughters have been forcibly removed and kept by Umar Zahoor against their will.

They said their mother’s actions have “ruined” their peace of mind and had “adversely affected our mental and psychological health” since the media related material is accessible to everyone.  Zainab Umar wrote: “Me and my sister have faced extreme embarrassment and bullying at our schools and we were so distraught that our father has arranged for us to change our schools thrice to protect us from the effects of our mother’s statements.” Zainab Umar’s affidavit reads: “I wish to negate all the baseless allegations of my mother. We are leading a healthy, happy, peaceful and productive life here.”  One of the affidavits continued: “Recently we have faced another wave of public humiliation by our mother (Ms Khushbakat Mirza) when she has managed to get yellow warrants issued.

Our father has tried to assure us of or well-being but me and my sister have withdrawn from our friends who inquire if we are kept hidden by our friend from our mother, I am tired of the humiliation and the backlash that I and my father have to encounter, I am tired of the humiliation and the backlash that we have to encounter. I am heartbroken after realising that our mother, despite being aware of our exact whereabouts since she sent us a couple of presents through mail, decided to use us as a pawn.” Both sisters offered in their affidavits that they were prepared to record their statements through Skype or any other electronic mode in order to ensure that they were making the statements without any coercion.

 Sophia Mirza has previously maintained that her daughters were kidnapped from Pakistan by their father and that they are being held against their will in Dubai and that they should be brought back to Pakistan.