Wedding raid: Police claim girl of ‘marriageable’ age

Raid to stop underage marriage conducted on ‘false’ tip.

BAHAWALPUR:

Police on Saturday concluded that a girl they went to rescue on Friday evening from an underage marriage was of ‘marriageable’ age.

Police had raided the wedding of Gulzar Ahmad, 45, to Aasia near Khanqah Sharif on Friday after Aasia’s mother Hafeeza Bibi complained that her former husband Mohammad Siddique, 50, was marrying off her 10-year-old daughter.

Gulzar Ahmad, a resident of Dera Masti, had agreed in exchange to marry his sister Nasreen Bibi, 20, to Siddique, a father of six children.

Gulzar Ahmad, a father of three, had divorced his wife, Rasheeda Bibi, six months ago.

Niaz, a neighbour and eyewitness, told The Express Tribune that Muhammad Aslam, a local cleric, had refused to solemnise the marriage after looking at the girl, finding her too young.

He said Gulzar Ahmad had run away with the girl when reports of the police raid were received.

He said that Siddique had three sons and three daughters. “His two younger daughters Fauzia and Shazia are four and six years old respectively.

Aasia is the eldest and not more than 11 or 12 years old,” he said.

Mohammad Siddique told The Tribune that his daughter was 16 years old.

“Gulzar Ahmad himself brought a nikah registrar and the ceremony was over before the police came,” he said.

He said that Hafeeza Bibi had left him three years ago after refusing to bear more children and married another local Azam Daha.
Investigation Officer Miraj Khan said that female constables had examined the girl and found her to be of marriageable age.

“The girl told us she was a student of grade 10. She also said she was not being forced,” he said.

He said that a case had been registered against Hafeeza Bibi for making a false complaint.

Asked why a medical examination hasdnot been conducted, Khan said that the girl had said that she had a regular menstrual cycle.

“We had sufficient evidence to believe she was of marriageable age,” he said.

Speaking to The Tribune at the police station, Aasia said that she had studied at Oxford Public School, Khanqah Sharif.

Malik Mohammad Bilal, principal of the school, said, “The school record shows her name as Nadia, not Aasia.”

“The girl left the school in grade four. According to the date of birth provided, she should be 14 years of age,” he said.

“Our school only teaches till eighth grade,” he said.

Bahawalpur High Court Bar President Yahya Khan told The Tribune that the legal age for marriage was 16 years.

“If the girl was married when her age was less than 16 years, it is a non-bailable offence,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2012.