Illegal marriages: K-P assembly adopts resolution against sale of women

The resolution tabled by JUI-F’s Zarqa Bibi was unanimously approved.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution calling the government to ban the sale of women in the name of marriage.

The resolution, which was tabled by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) lawmaker Zarqa Bibi, stated that poor young girls from Swat, Chitral, Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda and other parts of K-P are forced to marry older men.

It further said the girls also face physical violence and are not even allowed to meet their parents.

The resolution demanded that the provincial government should ban this practice and punish those associated with this business to discourage this trend.

It further added that all marriages should be registered at a union council level after thorough checking.

In this regard, the K-P assembly unanimously approved the resolution.

Zarqa Bibi told The Express Tribune that poverty was the main reason for selling the women and if there is no dowry the girls are not married off.

She said that most of the hapless girls were being sold off to buyers in other parts of the country – particularly Punjab for a paltry sum of Rs 50,000.

She said that it came to her notice, almost daily, that Pakhtuns in Punjab selling off girls for marriage, which is the reason she moved the resolution in the assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2010.