Criminal act: Shikarpur police foil bid to marry off minors

Four minor children, all aged under 12 years, were having their nikkahs solemnised


Our Correspondent January 18, 2017
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SUKKUR: Timely action by the Shikarpur police foiled a bid to marry off minors in Qamaruddin Pahore village within the limits of the Khanpur police station late on Tuesday night.

The parents of the children have been remanded into police custody for three days, while the children have been referred to a doctor to determine their ages.

On a tip off, the SHOs of the Khanpur and Faizoo police stations raided Qamaruddin Pahore village near Khanpur on Tuesday night and arrested four persons - Abdul Subhan Pahore, Abdul Rasool Marhata and their wives. Four minor children who were being married off were also taken into custody.

The children have been identified as eight-year-old Allah Wadhayo, son of Pahore, 11-year-old Haleema, daughter of Marhata, four-year-old Hawa Bibi, daughter of Pahore, and two-year-old Abdullah, son of Marhata. According to the police, when they raided the village the nikkah of Allah Wadhayo and Haleema had been solemnised, while moulvi Suleman Pahore was preparing to solemnise the nikkah of Hawa Bibi and Abdullah.

A case under the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013 has been registered against them at Naparkot police station as there is no FIR book available at the newly established Faizoo police station. The reader of the SSP Shikarpur, Athar Channa confirmed the incident and said the parents along with the children were produced in the court of the Shikarpur civil judge. According to him, the court remanded the parents into police custody for three days, while the children are also in custody.

Earlier, while speaking to reporters at New Faujdari police station Pahore and Marhata claimed that Haleema and Allah Wadhayo have reached puberty and therefore the nikkah was solemnised. "We were going to have their rukhsati when the police raided," said one of the fathers. Talking about other two children, Hawa Bibi and Abdullah, they claimed that since they are minors only a nikkah was being solemnised.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2017.

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