Five of 14 witnesses to the alleged first marriage of the Afghan woman, who eloped to Pakistan, appeared before the family court on Wednesday.
Case hearings are taking place before Family Court Judge Kiran Shaukat. Maryam and Haiwad, an Afghan couple who eloped to Abbottabad in May, have been in the spotlight since another man, Abdul Rehman, claimed that Maryam married him in 2006 and that they have two children.
During the case proceedings on Wednesay, five people appeared before the court and confirmed Maryam’s marriage to Rehman. Other witnesses are also scheduled to appear before court on Thursday (today).
The Afghan couple have submitted a response to Rehman’s request to conduct DNA tests of Maryam’s alleged children. The couple expressed reservations over conducting the DNA tests in Pakistan, fearing they might be tampered with. They requested the tests be conducted outside Pakistan.
CJ Khan refuses to extend repatriation date
In a hearing of the division bench, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Dost Muhammad Khan ordered that the governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees will not change the deadline of December 31 for repatriation of Afghan refugees.
“In view of the written agreement between the concerned authorities, no further extension will be given,” he said. CJ Khan said that 84% of Afghan refugees have already left Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2012.
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