In custody: Abbottabad couple arrested following bail rejection
An FIR has been lodged against the two by the woman’s family for having illicit relations.
An FIR has been lodged against the two by the woman’s family for having illicit relations. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday dismissed the pre-arrest bail of a couple from Abbottabad and handed them over to concerned police officials so investigation into the case could be completed.
A single member bench of PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel was informed by the counsel of Babar Qayum and his wife Kishwar Zaman that his clients were facing life threats in Abbottabad and thus approached the high court to get pre-arrest bail.
An FIR was registered at Garhi Habibullah police station in Abbottabad on January 17 by the woman’s father and charged the couple under Section 365-B of Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 which covers kidnapping, abduction or inducing a woman for marriage or illicit intercourse.
It was later discovered the couple fled to Jhang district in Punjab where they got married on February 18, alleged her father.
The counsel contended that the woman claims the petitioner is her stepfather and wanted to get her married to an old man which was not acceptable to her, adding she married Babar of her free will.
The counsel for Kishwar’s alleged stepfather Pir Zaman Shah told the court his client’s son-in-law was already married and when a case was filed against him he did not cooperate with the police and refused to join the investigation.
Additional Advocate General Qaiser Ali Shah also said the accused did not cooperate with the police to complete the investigation.
The court then rejected the pre-arrest bail and handed over the accused to the police for investigation. The couple was subsequently arrested by officials of the relevant police station from the premises of the high court.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2014.
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday dismissed the pre-arrest bail of a couple from Abbottabad and handed them over to concerned police officials so investigation into the case could be completed.
A single member bench of PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel was informed by the counsel of Babar Qayum and his wife Kishwar Zaman that his clients were facing life threats in Abbottabad and thus approached the high court to get pre-arrest bail.
An FIR was registered at Garhi Habibullah police station in Abbottabad on January 17 by the woman’s father and charged the couple under Section 365-B of Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 which covers kidnapping, abduction or inducing a woman for marriage or illicit intercourse.
It was later discovered the couple fled to Jhang district in Punjab where they got married on February 18, alleged her father.
The counsel contended that the woman claims the petitioner is her stepfather and wanted to get her married to an old man which was not acceptable to her, adding she married Babar of her free will.
The counsel for Kishwar’s alleged stepfather Pir Zaman Shah told the court his client’s son-in-law was already married and when a case was filed against him he did not cooperate with the police and refused to join the investigation.
Additional Advocate General Qaiser Ali Shah also said the accused did not cooperate with the police to complete the investigation.
The court then rejected the pre-arrest bail and handed over the accused to the police for investigation. The couple was subsequently arrested by officials of the relevant police station from the premises of the high court.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2014.