Underage girl forced into marriage rescued in Sindh

Three men were arrested in Sindh’s Tando Muhammad Khan district on Friday for allegedly marrying off an 11-year-old girl to settle a family dispute after a jirga ruling.

Those arrested include the girl’s father, Rawat Lashari, her husband, Abdul Karim Lashari and the cleric who solemnised the wedding in a village near Matli town of Badin district.

Acting on a tip-off, Dando police raided the village Thursday night where the wedding was underway and rescued the girl.

“The village jirga, in an attempt to settle a dispute within the family, ordered the 11-year-old girl to be married off to the 56-year-old Abdul Karim,” said Dando Station House Officer (SHO) Mir Hassan Rajo.

Investigation conducted by the local police revealed that Abdul Karim’s wife had reportedly “eloped” with the girl’s maternal uncle a few months ago.

The issue was brought to the jirga, which then penalised Rawat and ordered him to marry his daughter to Abdul Karim.

A First Information Report was registered on behalf of the state. The accused were charged under Section 310 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) as well as sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013.

The accused were presented in front of a civil judge who placed them in judicial custody for 14 days and directed the police to produce the minor in the court on Saturday.

Source: Dawn