The girl appealed to the government to intervene and prevent villagers from marrying her off to an already married man. PHOTO: FILE
Rubina and her brother Bakht Munir, while talking to journalists, said that two months back their cousin Anwar Khan was accused of having an illicit relationship with the wife of Abdur Rahim. After the incident, Khan escaped.
Rubina said her cousin’s disappearance created an uproar in the area and a jirga was convened which directed Anwer Khan’s father Rehman Zarin, who works in Saudi Arabia, to come back to the village for the verdict.
Rubina’s uncle Rehman visited the village and persuaded Rubina’s father to give her in sawara to Abdur Rahim. Around 200 people from 25 surrounding villages decided that Rubina would be married to Abdur Rahim on April 4.
Rubina said she ran away from her house and came to another uncle’s place. Despite having daughters of his own Rahman Zarin was giving me in Sawara, she said.
The little girl appealed to the government to intervene and prevent villagers from marrying her off to an already married man.
Swara is a custom where girls are forcibly married to men of rival families to settle feuds.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2013.
COMMENTS (7)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Smart girl. She knew what was happening to her was wrong. Why should she suffer because someone else made a mistake?
@Erik: Salutations, Erik. . Islamic doctrine does not protect any primitive code. Islamic doctrine is not based on EQUALITY but EQUITY. Traditional European culture treated woman as a chattel WHOLY OWNED by husband or father. This is why, the day a girl got married everything her father gave her (in marriage) BECAME the property of the husband. Just like the branding of cattle, the ownership of the woman by the man was reflected in the practice of the man branding (his newly acquired possession) with his name. Poor woman was not even allowed to carry her birth FAMILY, and CLAN name. Even today the branding takes place in most marriages. In Islam neither son nor daughter is OWNED by the father. . Please study the principle of EQUITY. The son has the responsibility of providing for his parents in their old age. The daughter has no such obligation. The application of the principle of equity, is reflected in the fact that the each son inherits twice as much as each daughter. That is equity and not “valued at half”. . Islam does not need REFORMATION. Principles of Islam should be used to Reform the nations still living in as primitive and uncivilized states, which cannot think beyond equality. . Indeed good luck to all those still not touched by the civilizing mission of Islam: Believe me: God does not forsake any of his creatures. Enlightenment is on the way.
"It is the duty of the Islamic Republic to protect her from these people practicing primitive and pre-Islamic codes."
Except, that these codes are justified by Islamic doctrine. Women are the property of their fathers. Women are valued at one half that of men.
Islam is in need of a reformation. Except that, in Pakistan, suggesting any such thing is blasphemy. A crime.
Good luck joining the world of civilized nations.
Jirga-certified paedophilia
Rubina's courage is to be admired. It is the duty of the Islamic Republic to protect her from these people practicing primitive and pre-Islamic codes. Rubina should be encouraged to pursue education at Government expense. Malala and Rubina are living of example of conduct expected of every Daughter of the Islamic Republic.
Sad to see our countries living in the medieval age.
I wonder what happened to the wife of Abdur Rahim, who was part of the illicit relationship