MINGORA:
A local court here on Saturday handed a 13-year-old girl to her family after a jirga, allegedly in connivance with the police, decided to marry her off to an old man to settle a dispute between two families.
The station house officer of Manglore police was suspended for his alleged involvement in harassing the girl and her family.
Earlier on Friday, a local jirga meeting at the Manglore Police Station had decided to marry Sadia* to an old man after her brother was charged with having an extra-marital relationship with a woman.
Allegedly acting to uphold the jirga’s decision, the Manglore police picked up Sadia, her brothers and her father and held them at the police station for nearly three hours.
When Sadia’s lawyer approached a sessions court, the Manglore police, fearing action against them, presented the four in court.
The judge then sent Sadia to a magistrate’s court to record her statement. In her statement, she said she was being pressurised by the police and the influential opponent family to marry a much older man against her will.
She claimed that the opposing party had accused her brother of having illicit relations with their daughter, and her brother had confessed and married in court. “But now the family and jirga members are bent upon getting me married to [in swara],” she added.
She appealed to the court to nullify the jirga’s decision. The court, after hearing her statement, decided to hand her over to her family and directed the police to take action against the jirga members.
Meanwhile the Inspector General of Peshawar Police, taking note of the incident, suspended Manglore Police Station House Officer Hashim Ali Khan and ordered the district police officer to initiate an inquiry into the incident.
Later, talking to media, Sadia’s father alleged that he was manhandled by police officials while in custody. He requested the police high-ups to take note of the “injustice” and provide security to his family.
Swara is a custom in the Pashtun belt, under which girls are forcibly married to men of rival families to settle disputes. According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, the minimum age of marriage for any person is 16 years. Under the law, anyone found guilty of performing, conducting or directing any child marriage may be imprisoned for up to month, or fined up to Rs1,000, or both.
*Name has been changed to protect identity
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2012.
COMMENTS (5)
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I think you will have a hard time finding any "liberals" ready to serve as police in Pakistan.
Being a staunch liberal should be a requirement for being inducted as a PSP officer. Do that and see how quickly these incidents die out. Pakistan needs a group of liberal extremists to combat these barbarians.
which police was directed? the ones who were involved in the jirga? come on.......
"imprisoned for up to month, or fined up to Rs1,000, or both" Is that a joke??
Swara is a custom in the Pashtun belt, under which girls are forcibly married to men of rival families to settle disputes. According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, the minimum age of marriage for any person is 16 years. Under the law, anyone found guilty of performing, conducting or directing any child marriage may be imprisoned for up to month, or fined up to Rs1,000, or both. PARLIAMENT NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS OLD LAW N CHANGE WITH REASONABLE INCREASE IN JAIL TERM N FINE.