Free-will marriage: Family refusing vani settlement faces threats

A panchayat had told the girl’s father to also transfer his 2-kanal land as part of settlement.

BAHAWALPUR:

A complaint was filed at the Saddar police station in Khanpur on Thursday against a panchayat’s decision ordering a 19-year-old girl to be married to settle a free will marriage dispute.

The complaint was filed by the girl’s father Muhammad Ayub, a resident of Dhak Loharan Basti. Muhammad Ashraf Mughal, president of a non government organisation in Khanpur, accompanied him.

Mughal said that Ayub’s son Bilal Ahmed, 20, had married Rizwana Bibi, 19, on November 3, 2012, in a court in Multan without seeking consent of Rizwana’s parents.

He said since Ayub did not object to the marriage, he accepted Rizwana as his daughter-in-law.

He said her father, Abdus Samad, had called a panchayat on Tuesday. It was led by Sardar Jam Shabbir, who ordered Ayub to transfer two kanals of agricultural land to Samad and marry his 19-year-old daughter to Samad’s 12-year-old son to settle the matter.

Mughal said though Ayub refused to marry his daughter, but transferred the land on the same day thinking this would resolve the matter. He said the panchayat had also told him and his family to leave the area for five years.

On Wednesday, he said, Ayub and his family left the area and settled in Khanpur city, some 20 km from their village.

He said Ayub still feared for his daughter. Ayub said that Samad and his men were threatening to take her away forcibly. He said they had also threatened to kill Ahmed and Rizwana.

Mughal said Ayub had asked for help when he shifted to Khanpur. He said he suggested that Bilal Ahmed, his sister and Rizwana shift to some other city which they had done.

He said that Ahmed and Rizwana had submitted an application at the Lahore High Court Bench in Bahawalpur saying that they had married of their free will and that the court should not accept any petition if filed against Ahmed by his family.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the panchayat leader owned up to the terms of the settlement. He said locals had been following his decisions and had never taken a matter to the police.

Station House Officer Farrukh Javed said that he had summoned Ayub, Samad and the panchayat leader at the police station on Friday (today). He said an investigation officer had also been sent to the village to ascertain facts.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2013.