Police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly marrying a minor girl. The police also started raids for the arrest of Nikkah registrar, witnesses and relatives from both parties.
According to sources, In-charge police check post Ditta ASI Khurram Saif said in his report that during a routine patrol, a man near Nawaz Chowk informed him that that Ismail, a resident of 434 GB, married ten-year-old Muskan fifteen days ago and is keeping her hostage in his house.
Upon this information, a police team raided Ismail’s house and arrested him, also rescuing Muskan from his custody. Allegedly, Maulvi Shahid managed the Nikkah and relatives of both the bride and groom attended the event as witnesses.
The police started raids for the arrests of Maulvi Shahid, Muskan’s relatives and other witnesses and attendees.
Satiana police also registered a case under the provisions of the 4/5/6 Child Marriage Act under 342 PPC.
Child marriages remain shockingly commonplace nationwide. As most adolescents relish the bittersweet frivolity of childhood, ranting about exams and juggling extracurricular activities, teenage girls from the nomad community in Lahore taste the solemnity of adulthood a bit too early.
Despite the Punjab Marriage Restraint Act of 2015, strictly condemning the marriage of minor boys below the age of 18 and girls below the age of 16, a large segment of the nomad community practises child marriages, thereby exposing their daughters to pregnancy complications, nutrient deficiencies, stillbirths, and domestic abuse.
In April of this year, a shocking case came to the fore. Rani Bibi Shahdara, who got married at the age of 13, and now lives in her natal home with her two daughters, having left her patrilocal residence four years ago after enduring a daily dose of beating by her jobless, drug addict husband.
“I never wanted to get married at such a young age. Just like other teenagers, I too wanted to enjoy my childhood, study and carve my own destiny but my father did not take no for an answer,” she recalled.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2023.
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