Illegally detained: Police recover woman chained by kin in Rajoa

She had earlier eloped with a youth after apparently falling in love.

FAISALABAD:

Police claimed on Tuesday to have recovered a young woman who was being held at her residence for two weeks by her relatives in Rajoa.

Rajao SHO Hafiz Abdullah told The Express Tribune that Abbaspur resident Farkhanda Bibi* had been chained by her relatives after they developed suspicions regarding her character and relationship with a youngster. Officials said Farkhanda Bibi had been recovered in a police raid. Police said Mashooq and Shahbaz Zakir, the brother and husband of the woman, had been detained.

Zameer Ali, a neighbour of Farkhanda Bibi’s, told The Express Tribune that she had been forcibly married to Zakir. Ali said the couple had failed to have a harmonious relationship. The neighbour said Farkhanda Bibi had apparently fallen in love with Iqbal, a youngster who dwelled in the same locality, and had eloped with him over a month ago.

Ali said Farkhanda Bibi’s relatives including her brother an d husband had presented the couple before a punchayat (council of village elders) after managing to trace their whereabouts. The neighbour said the punchayat had directed Farkhanda Bibi to be chained at her residence and had ordered one leg of Iqbal’s to be broken.  Ali said Farkhanda Bibi had been detained at her residence and a leg of Iqbal’s had been fractured by her relatives in accordance with the punchayat’s edict for “bringing the name of their family into disrepute.”

The neighbour said an agreement regulating the conduct and compensation of the couple was also executed on stamp paper by the punchayat. According to the agreement, Farkhanda Bibi’s family would have to pay Rs200,000 to Iqbal’s family if she fled again and would not demand her to be handed over. Similarly, Iqbal’s family would have to pay Rs200,000 to Farkhanda Bibi’s family if he managed to escape and would not ask him to return. The Chiniot DPO told The Express Tribune that a police team had recovered Farkhanda  Bibi after being tipped-off. The police official said the woman had been chained at her residence for two weeks. He said police had also jailed Farkhanda Bibi’s husband and brother after nabbing them.

The DPO said a case had been registered regarding the episode under Section 344 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). He said the accused were not in a position to influence the proceedings since the department itself was the complainant. The DPO said action would be taken against the suspects in accordance with the law.

*Names changed to protect identities.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2015.