Man begs authorities to save daughter from watta satta
Jirga sets two months deadline for marriage
FILE PHOTO
BUNER/DI KHAN:
A man has approached Chowdwan police in DI Khan, begging for its help to stop the forced marriage of his daughter. The “union” was arranged—with the blessings of a jirga—under the oppressive and archaic custom of watta satta.
A Chowdwan policeman told The Express Tribune Gulistan Kalo, a resident of Baki union council, lodged an application seeking help from the police in the matter. Kalo has also asked the government and chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of the situation and order action against those involved. Around 15 years ago, Kalo’s brother married a sister of Ghulam Hussain. Now Hussain is forcing Kalo to marry his daughter with Hussain’s son. Kalo’s application stated when he refused, Hussain forced him to accept a jirga’s decision. The distraught father said the jirga, comprising Chan Shah, Gharib Shah, Qari Mehrban and Attaullah, said his daughter must marry Hussain’s son within two months.
The girl’s father said Hussain also made threats to Kalo’s life if he failed to comply. Kalo requested legal action against Hussain and jirga members to stop this forced marriage.
Forced marriages
Watta satta involves the marriage of a brother and sister with another brother and sister. According to a website, this form of marriage in Pakistan is typically endogamous, involving blood relatives, with over 75% marriages occurring within the same village, tribe or clan.
Another custom in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa of forced marriage is Swara. Women are used to compensate for crimes committed by their male relatives. A woman may be married off into the aggrieved family so her male relative can escape the death. Section 310-A of the Criminal Law Act 2004 prohibits Badal-e-Sulh and girls or women cannot be given in marriage as compensation for someone else’s crime.
Meanwhile, Two suspects who killed a couple over ‘honour’ in Anghapoor village in Buner on Sunday were arrested on Monday. The incident took place within the jurisdiction of Daggar police station. Police said Sahib Hassan and Muhammad Asha gunned down Sahira, 18, and Sardar Ali,25.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2016.
A man has approached Chowdwan police in DI Khan, begging for its help to stop the forced marriage of his daughter. The “union” was arranged—with the blessings of a jirga—under the oppressive and archaic custom of watta satta.
A Chowdwan policeman told The Express Tribune Gulistan Kalo, a resident of Baki union council, lodged an application seeking help from the police in the matter. Kalo has also asked the government and chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of the situation and order action against those involved. Around 15 years ago, Kalo’s brother married a sister of Ghulam Hussain. Now Hussain is forcing Kalo to marry his daughter with Hussain’s son. Kalo’s application stated when he refused, Hussain forced him to accept a jirga’s decision. The distraught father said the jirga, comprising Chan Shah, Gharib Shah, Qari Mehrban and Attaullah, said his daughter must marry Hussain’s son within two months.
The girl’s father said Hussain also made threats to Kalo’s life if he failed to comply. Kalo requested legal action against Hussain and jirga members to stop this forced marriage.
Forced marriages
Watta satta involves the marriage of a brother and sister with another brother and sister. According to a website, this form of marriage in Pakistan is typically endogamous, involving blood relatives, with over 75% marriages occurring within the same village, tribe or clan.
Another custom in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa of forced marriage is Swara. Women are used to compensate for crimes committed by their male relatives. A woman may be married off into the aggrieved family so her male relative can escape the death. Section 310-A of the Criminal Law Act 2004 prohibits Badal-e-Sulh and girls or women cannot be given in marriage as compensation for someone else’s crime.
Meanwhile, Two suspects who killed a couple over ‘honour’ in Anghapoor village in Buner on Sunday were arrested on Monday. The incident took place within the jurisdiction of Daggar police station. Police said Sahib Hassan and Muhammad Asha gunned down Sahira, 18, and Sardar Ali,25.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2016.