16-year-old girl ‘married’ to eight-year-old cousin ‘for property’

Girl’s uncle says the nikahnama showing the boy as 18-year-old is false.

BAHAWALPUR:

A 16-year-old orphan in a village near Khanpur has reportedly been married to an eight-year-old cousin of hers to “keep property inherited by her in the family”.

A case has been registered against the boy’s father and the nikahkhawan, but no one has been arrested so far.

Umar Hayat, Rukhsana’s maternal uncle, said he had hidden her to prevent her to be forcibly taken by her paternal uncle, Muhammad Yousaf, who he said had acquired a false nikahnama by bribing the nikahkhwan.



He said his niece had not even been informed about the nikah.

On Sunday, he said, Yousaf had arrived at his house and inquired about Rukhsana. When she refused to go with him, he had said that he was legally entitled to take her back because she was married to his son.

Hayat said he was shocked to hear that as Yousaf’s son was too young. He said he later found that the boy had been shown to be 18-years-old in the false nikahnama.

He alleged that Yousaf had threatened Rukhsana with an acid attack and said that he will get Rukhsana and her two sisters killed if he (Hayat) did not let Rukhsana go with him.

He said Yousaf had shot Rukhsana’s mother 15 days ago after the death of her father to take over the Rs30 million land she and her two sisters had inherited.



He said since then Rukhsana and her two younger sisters had been living with him.

He said had filed a murder case against Yousaf which was being heard at the court. He said Yousaf had not been arrested due to lack of evidence.

He said Yousaf had eyes on the land his nieces had inherited from their father and so he plotted to get her married to his son.

He said there had been a scuffle when Yousaf tried to take the girl away. He said Yousaf left threatening to return with his men. Hayat said as soon as Yousaf left, he approached the Sahja police, who initially refused to register his complaint.

They, however, later filed the case after some of Hayat’s relative and residents of the area protested against the police.

Investigation Officer Malik Rab Nawaz said police were looking for the men nominated in the FIR. He said they were missing. He said the police had questioned the girl. The girl said she had not signed any nikahnama and that she and her sisters did not want to go with her paternal uncle’s house.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2013.