BAHAWALPUR: An attempt to marry off a four-year-old girl was foiled on Wednesday, when police officials arrested the 22-year-old bridegroom and forced the wedding guests to leave the function.
According to police officials, Moza Rangpur Chowk Shahidan resident Hummera (4) had been wed to Muhammad Shahzad by nikah khwan Qazi Khalil Ahmed on Tuesday. The families of Hummera and Shahzad had arranged the match when the girl’s father Zahoor Ahmed’s uncle Khanqah Sharif exchanged his son Ranjha’s daughter Rubina for one of Shahzad’s daughters. On Wednesday, Ranjha along with his 22- year-old son and a large number of wedding guests reached Moza Rangpur for the reception ceremony. Musafir Khana police came to know about the event and raided the house. Police officials from Musafir Khana and Sama Satta police stations raided the location and stalled the wedding.
The police turned out all the guests and arrested the groom and the girl’s parents. According to the girl parents, Zahoor Ahmed and Naseem Bibi, watta satta marriages were a long standing tradition in the family and they had the right to contract the marriage. “This is our tradition. We get our daughter’s married when they are very young but the rukhsati is arranged afterwards when they come of an age,” Ahmed said, adding “The police are making a big deal out of this even though it is common practice.”
Thaana Musafir Khan SHO Afzal Lodhi said that he had released Hummera’s parents. “They have been issued a warning that the child is not to be married off before she is of legal age,” Lodhi said, adding “the parents were determined that there was nothing wrong with them contracting the nikah with or without the child’s approval.”
“The police are trying to make a law and order situation out of a personal matter. Such marriages have been taking place for decades and they will not stop just because the police is interfering,” Ranjha, the groom’s father said. Police officials said they had arrested the groom Muhammad Shahzad but seven others nominated in the case had escaped. An FIR (366-A) has been launched against eight persons, including the nikah khwan. Bahawalpur police are currently conducting raids to arrest nikah khawan Qazi Khalil Ahmed and have already questioned the parents of the bride and groom.
Police officials said that Hummera’s marriage was contracted without her consent and that even though her parents had said that they were not planning a rukhsati, the child was going to be sent to the groom. Police officials said that the case would be pursued in court to declare the marriage contract void.
On the second day of Humera’s marriage when Rubina’s brother came along with wedding guests the police was called in by Zahoor’s neighbour Atif.
“I was invited to the ceremony but I refused to go because I knew that Hummera was only a child. I called the police because they were intending a rukhsati even though they denied it later,” Atif said. Police officials said they were searching for the nikah khwan and other guilty parties.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2010.
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