Free-will marriage: Protection sought from police

A request has been sent to the DPO against threats from the girl’s family.

RAHIM YAR KHAN:

A man and his wife on Friday requested police protection against death threats they said they were receiving from woman’s family who were opposed to their marriage.

Sajid Taj and Shamim Mai said they had sent an application in this regard to Rahim Yar Khan District Police Officer Sohail Zafar. They were addressing a press conference in Jajja Abbasia in Jampur. Taj, a resident of Khanpur, said the couple had on Thursday night escaped an attack at their house by men from Shamin’s family. “We have been moving home since getting married two months ago to protect ourselves from them,” he said.  Thursday night’s incident was the second attempt by Shamim’s family to hurt them, he added. Sajid complained that the police were contacted after the first attack and requested to provide protection to them but no action was taken.

City police’s Assistant Sub Inspector Jam Nazar said they had not been approached by Sajid Taj or Shamim Mai either for police protection or with an assault complaint. He said the police will arrange protection if they receive a request from the couple or if there is a directive from the DPO. ASI Nazar said they had received a complaint against Sajid Taj’s father, Taj Muhammad, for allegedly sexually assaulting his daughter-in-law. He said the charges were dropped after no evidence came up during investigation. He said the complainant, Muhammad’s daughter-in-law, appeared to have been instigated against the suspect by Allah Bachaya, Shamim’s father, and Ramazan, her uncle, who were identified in the FIR as witnesses to the crime. However, the ASI said, no action was taken against Bachaya or Ramazan because the suspect had refused to prosecute them.

Shamim Mai, a Jampur resident, told the media that she had married Sajid Taj in a court after turning 19 two months ago. She said her family had wanted to sell her in marriage to an elderly man. She said her family was threatening to kill her and Sajid Taj if she did not get a divorce from him and return home. “My father and uncles will be responsible for any harm that comes our or his family’s way,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2012.