Freewill marriage: Joiya men assault Baloch family

Attack on Haq Nawaz’s family for latter’s marriage to his daughter, one kidnapped, three injured.

VEHARI:

Armed men of Joiya clan, led by father of a woman who had married a Baloch tribesman despite his opposition, attacked and beat up members of the latter’s family in a Vehari village on Tuesday night.

Five men and seven women of the family were beaten up with sticks.

Haq Nawaz, who had married Tehmina, was not at his Chak 105WB residence when the attack took place as he and Tehmina had moved to a neighbouring village following their marriage two months ago. His nephews Muhammad Tanveer, Bilal and Abu Bakr and a cousin Asif Raza were kidnapped by the attackers. Raza and Tanveer, however, managed to escape. Bilal was recovered later in the night by a Theeng police team while Abu Bakr is still missing.

Rab Nawaz, Haq Nawaz’s brother, said the attackers broke into the house by knocking down the main door. He said while the attackers were beating him and his sons the women sleeping in another room jumped over the wall and went to the house of a neighbour, Muhammad Ashiq.

Nawaz said the attackers chased the women to Ashiq’s house. He said the women had escaped by the time attackers reached there. He said the women were forced to spend the night in the fields outside the village, as no one in the village was willing to let them stay at their house.

“Most of the villagers are members of the Joiya clan. There are only two Baloch families in the village,” he said. He alleged that the attackers also took away cash and valuables from the house.

Rab Nawaz said he had filed a complaint to the Theeng police for registration of a case against the attackers but police were delaying the matter to avoid taking action against them.

“Joiyas are an influential family of the village. Police won’t take action against them,” he said.

SHO Masoodul Haq rejected the suggestion that police were delaying investigation of the case. He said he had only taken charge of the office on Wednesday. He said he would register an FIR in the matter in a day and start investigation.

Earlier, the injured members of the family were given first aid at Vehari district headquarters (DHQ) hospital. Medical superintendent Dr Muhammad Ashraf told The Tribune that they had suffered injuries to muscles caused by beating with sticks.

Haq Nawaz told The Tribune that he and Tehmina were tricked by her mother Hafeeza Bibi by asking them to discuss reconciliation with her father Mumtaz Joiya. Later, he said, Mumtaz detained Tehmina and refused to let her return with him.

“He was opposed to our marriage,” he said. He added that her mother (Hafeeza) was aware of the marriage and had in fact permitted the two to get married.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2012.