On the run: Newly-weds seek govt, court protection

Say girl’s uncles looking for revenge as she married against family wishes

PESHAWAR: A couple is seeking the protection of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and Peshawar High Court as they say the bride’s uncles are “out for their blood”.

Amjad Hussain* and Rukhsana* told journalists at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday that they wanted police protection. Both are residents of Kakshal in Peshawar and they tied the knot in a lower court of Shabqadar tehsil in Charsadda on October, 11, 2014.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the husband who is in his thirties said they were in love and his parents met her family on numerous occasions.

He added Rukhsana’s mother and father agreed to the wedding but her uncles were unhappy over the decision.

He said her uncles wanted her to marry an older man in Afghanistan in exchange for Rs0.5 million. Hussain said the girl was unhappy over their decision and decided to leave home and elope with him.

However, Hussain added, Rukhsana’s uncles registered an FIR against him, accusing Hussain of kidnapping the five-year-old son of one of them. He refuted the allegation and said he was unaware of any abduction.

Talking to The Express Tribune, 21-year-old Rukhsana said she married Amjad of her own accord and she is happy with him. She confirmed her uncles arranged her wedding with another man from Afghanistan for Rs0.5million.

She appealed to the K-P government and Peshawar High Court to provide them with protection. The couple does not feel safe enough to live in one place for long enough to settle and this has caused Amjad to become jobless.

*Names changed to protect identities

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2015.