Forced marriage: Eight-year-old’s ‘sale’ prevented by police, neighbours

Police and neighours foil father’s attempt to sell daughter in marriage to a 52-year-old man.

QUAIDABAD: An eight-year-old girl was handed in her uncle’s custody on Sunday after Quaidabad police and some neighours foiled her father’s attempt to sell her in marriage to a 52-year-old man.

Her father Pervaiz Rahmat, Groom Muhammad Sher and others gathered at the marriage ceremony in Chak 33 DB fled from the scene on police’s arrival.

SHO Kamran Zahoor conducted the raid after the child’s uncle, Allah Ditta, and Pakistan Internation Human Rights Organisation, a local non-government organisation, president Muneer Lalani informed the police about the scheduled marriage ceremony.

Allah Dita said he was contacted by some neighbours and informed about his brother’s plan to sell the child for Rs150,000 to Talagang resident Sher. He said his Rahmat must have been encouraged by his second wife to sell the child. He said Rahmat had re-married after the child’s mother left him and contracted another marriage six years ago. The SHO said he could not register a case as no crime had yet been committed. He handed the child into Ditta’s custody as he was her only relative.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2011.