MULTAN: Police on Friday recovered two girls – Salma, 9, and Rukkaiya, 11, – and arrested members of a Rajanpur Panchayat which had declared them wani after their father failed to comply with its illegal orders.
DPO Rajanpur Dr Shehzad Asif informed The Express Tribune that out of the 15 people nominated in the FIR registered by the girls’ father the police managed to get hold of 12 people including the nikah khaawaan, panchayat chief and other members of the committee.
The uncle of the two girls Ghulam Mustafa had eloped with a girl Sabrina after her family refused Mustafa’s proposal to marry her.
The act sparked fury from the girl’s family which demanded that Mustafa’s family including his brother Muhammad Ismail pay compensation.
Following refusal from Mustafa’s family, a Panchayat was called to make a decision on the matter. The panchayat ordered Ismail to marry his daughters in Sabrina’s family as compensation. Ismail was threatened that he would have to face severe consequences if he prompted the police. Ismail was told that his family would be killed and his daughters declared wani if he failed to comply with the Panchayat’s orders.
As soon as the father of the victims reported the case to the police the panchayat declared the girls wani and had them kidnapped from their residence. Following the kidnapping the father staged protests outside the DPO office demanding justice.
Meanwhile, the news circulated in the media and prompted the Punjab government to issue orders for the arrest of all the panchayat members and recovery of the girls within 24 hours.
Soon after, the DPO opened investigation and arrested the nikah khuwaan who revealed the location where the victims were hidden.
The police raided the location and recovered the girls who according to documents found with them are already married. The girls were later handed over to their family.
The police also arrested the panchayat chief Ghulam Muhammad Gamla Dareshak who identified nine other members of the panchayat.
A case under section 365 B / 354 and 148 / 149 has been registered against 15 people involved in the decision.
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Hienous in modern Pakistan. Need to educate these Panchyatees people, stern action will immensely work.
@Its (still) Econonmy Stupid:
It is self-understood:
6 times more then the girls age......6 X 9 = 54
It's called pedophilia in the civilized World.
ET never publish husbands age. And the reasons are?
guilty by association.
Suspicious husband, brother protecting his honor, father protecting his honor, son protecting his honor, jilted lover avenging his honor, feuding farmer selling their water disputes, moneylenders collecting their interest: most of lives’ arguments, it seemed, got settled by doing various things to a women’s body”