(Not) made for each other

SAJAWAL: All is fair in love and war, even kidnapping. A 45-year-old woman, Shahzadi Chandio, kidnapped a 17-year-old boy in the name of love on Saturday and forcibly took him to the local police station to declare her affection.

Shahzadi Chandio, a resident of Hyderabad, allegedly fell in love with Abdul Shakoor and wanted to get married to him. At the police station, when she announced her love and her marriage plans, Abdul Shakoor, refusing the ‘proposal’, said that he did not know her.

Meanwhile, Abdul Shakoor’s family reached the police station and demanded his release. As they were trying to take him back, Shahzadi threatened to commit suicide, and to prove her point started hitting her head with bricks outside the police station. When many journalists arrived at the scene, she verbally abused them and even tried to damage one television camera.

The people present there tried to calm her down, but were caught off guard when she suddenly grabbed the boy, bundling him in her car and drove off.

Three hours later, the woman returned to Abdul Shakoor’s house because, according to her, he had jumped out of the car and she suspected he had made his way home.

However, Abdul Shakoor’s father said that he did not know where his son was.

But Shahzadi did not believe them and staged a sit-in outside their house, vowing that she would not move until she meets him and is married to him.

Abdul Rehman, Abdul Shakoor’s father, told the media that he is an ambulance driver and works at the Taluka Hospital, Sajawal. Five days ago, while he was returning from Karachi in the ambulance, he saw Shahzadi standing by a road near Gharo. “I gave her a lift as she was completely alone. She needed to go to her relatives in Sajawal,” he said. When they reached Sajawal, she said that her relatives were some kilometres away and requested if she could spend the night at his house and would leave for her relatives the next morning, Abdul Rehman narrated.

Shahzadi did leave the next morning, but returned after five days declaring her love for his teenage son and forced him out of the house.

Abdul Rehman has sent off his family to their relatives’ house and that is where Shahzadi suspects he is now hiding Abdul Shakoor.

According to Abdul Shakoor’s cousin, Shahzadi is married and her husband works at the hospital.

The police have not registered a case yet. “We have not jailed her yet because we do not have women police personnel who can handle her.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2010.