Gay couple arrested in Balochistan after secret 'marriage'

Official says during investigation couple claims marriage was not serious and they were just joking

QUETTA: Police arrested a gay couple in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan on Monday following reports of their secret 'marriage', said to be the first in the province. 

A friend of the couple and the man who read their Nikkah was also arrested in the Gandawa area of Dera Allahyar, a town on the border of Sindh and Balochistan.

“We have arrested four people, including the couple, who are under investigation,” Station House Officer (SHO) Gandawa PS Zulfiqar Jamali told The Express Tribune.

However, the official added that the marriage was not ‘serious’.

“The young men during the investigation have said it was not a serious marriage as they were just joking,” he upheld.

Further, Jamali added, “The man who read out the Nikkah was not a religious cleric nor was he authorised to do that.”

However, a medical report suggested that the couple had sex.

Police have registered cases against the four men as gay marriage is illegal and a violation of the law in the country. The cases were registered under sections 377/34 that deal with same sexuality offence.

Sexual abuses are rarely reported in Balochistan’s highly-conservative society and issues are settled personally. Gays and transgender often do not speak up about their sexuality following the strict norms of society and culture in the country.