Father wants to save daughters from centuries-old custom

It is being used as revenge tactic against man who refused to divorce his wife

PESHAWAR: Six young women, residents of Hangu district, sit clad in a burqa as their father Pio Muhammad sobs softly. He urges the government to provide justice to him and free his daughters from the custom of ghag so he can marry them in the area with dignity and respect.

Ghag is a centuries-old tradition whereby a man, without the consent of a girl or her parents, makes a declaration in public that a particular girl is engaged to him.



The custom ensures no other man dares to send a marriage proposal to the girl. Moreover, the man who declares ghag on a girl does not marry her himself either. The custom covertly serves as a means to seek revenge on families or a threatening tool to solve disputes.

The motive

Fifty-year-old Pio told The Express Tribune that he was a happily married man and loved his wife. However, his sister was married to the brother of his wife and their union was not a happy one. “My sister got divorced after 15 years of her marriage due to a dispute with her husband,” he said, adding he was now being forced by his brothers to divorce his own wife.

“I refuse to divorce my loving wife,” Pio said. He added there was no good reason to end his marriage just because his sister was divorced by his wife’s brother.

Pio told The Express Tribune that some suitors had asked for his daughters’ hands in marriage and they were to be married under the custom of baddal, whereby two families agree to marry amicably.

“My brothers have used their sons to declare ghag on my daughters and now no one can marry them,” he said. Pio added his brothers were threatening all those who intend to send marriage proposals to his daughters.

“I do not want any property or any compensation, I just want them to be happily married and free of this horrible custom,” Pio said.

The law and implementation

Elimination of Custom of Ghag Act 2013, states whoever used ghag to ask for a girl’s hand in marriage will be punishable with imprisonment for a term no less than three years, which may also be extended to seven years. It also stated a fine of Rs0.5 million has to be paid by the offender.



Pio registered a case at Peshawar High Court (PHC) in 2015 against three of his brothers who had declared ghag on his daughters.

The order of the court, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, had instructed authorities to take action against the accused. PHC directed the K-P IGP, Hangu deputy commissioner and Hangu DPO to facilitate the complainant, Pio, and arrange marriages of his daughters with suitable people, particularly those who had visited the man’s house earlier with marriage proposals.

According to the order, the authorities were asked to complete the task in the shortest possible time. However Pio said that law-enforcement agencies have not cooperated with him.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2016.