Day: August 10, 2012

By: Nawaz Solangi

JACOBABAD: A teenage Hindu girl, MK, has converted to Islam and married a man identified as Ghulam Murtaza Channo, her parents informed Jacobabad SSP Muhammad Younis Chandio late Thursday evening.

The family had thought that she had been kidnapped five days ago. SSP Chandio met her father, Riwatt Mal alias Beebo, and Uncle Sanjay Singh, and Hindu Panchayat President Babo Mahesh Lakhani at Janta Hall on Thursday. He informed them that the couple appeared in the Sindh High Court in Sukkur in the morning and demanded protection.

Their daughter has taken the new name of Mehwish. The district police have been directed to provide them protection. “M phoned us today and said that she had married but we heard the voices of two men and a woman and doubt that she was being allowed to speak freely,” Beebo and Singh told daily Sindh Express. “We’ll migrate to India, if M is not recovered. We can’t live with this situation now.”

The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fauzia Qasuri Thursday condemned continuous violation of women rights saying that women were overwhelmingly under attack, especially in Punjab. Speaking at a press conference, the PTI leader announced that the party will shortly unveil a policy for the protection of women rights. Fauzia was of the view that both Islam and Constitution guarantee fair rights for women.

She said substantial legislation has also been made to protect women rights yet the breach is widening all around. Talking about the incident occurred in Muzaffargarh, where two elderly women were disrobed and paraded naked in the streets, Qasuri held the federal and provincial governments responsible. She said, “Both the governments have completely failed to protect women from torture and affliction.”

Calling it the sheer negligence and incompetence of the rulers, she said around 3,153 incidents of women rights violation had been reported from July 2011 to December 2011. According to Qasuri, the person who names himself as ‘Khadim-e-Ala’ occupies around 20 ministries and hence economic and administrative profiles of the province were deteriorating. She said PTI does not only represent the elite of the country rather caters for women from all walks of life.

Supporting early elections in the country, she said the situation would be out of control if the government did not dissolve assemblies for new polls as federal and provincial governments have been completely failed. Eminent social workers Arifa Mazhar, Asma Rajawi, Adeeba Ameer-ud-Din, Rabia Haider and Dr Rakhshanda announced to join the PTI on the occasion.

Business Recorder

JHANG: At least three people including two women were gunned down over old enmity and for honour separately here.

In first the incident, a 40-year old woman identified as Gull Naz was gunned down over old enmity in Mohallah Jalal Abad, a populated area of Jhang sadar. Two armed men namely Iftikhar Shah and Nazir Shah stormed into the house of Gull Naz and opened fire on her, killing her on the spot. The reason behind the murder is that the deceased’s sons had murdered the cousin of Waris a few months ago.

In another incident, a prisoner of the District Jail of Jhang died in DHO Hospital. Zafar Sial, a resident of Mouza Mukhiana, had murdered her sister Aziza Bibi one-and-half-year ago on a petty issue and was in prison. He became ill and was referred to the DHQ Hospital where he breathed his last.

In another incident, a youth killed her sister for honour. One Babar Hussain, a resident of Mauza Khanoana in the remits of Jhang Sadar police, had been suspecting her of having illicit relations with someone in the same village. On the day of incident, he opened indiscriminate fire on her, killing her on the spot.

The Nation

KARACHI: A fed-up Erum Shahzadi is finally a free woman after a court dissolved her marriage with her cruel husband on Wednesday, though she will have to bear the responsibility of their child in this early age.

The 19-year-old girl had been bartered in marriage by her parents in the tradition of “watta-satta”. She was married to Shahzada Adil Ansari in 2011 while her brother married Ansari’s sister. But her in-laws made her life a living hell. Shahzadi’s brother has already divorced his wife.

A district and sessions court ended her misery, as family judge, Abdul Qayyum Syed, granted her divorce application.

In the lawsuit, she had stated that her husband was an ill-tempered man and regularly misbehaved, insulted and assaulted her.

She alleged that when she had gone to her parents’ home four months ago, her husband threatened her of cutting her nose and kidnapping their son. “I hate him and can’t live with him at any cost,” stated Shahzadi. She has even forfeited her dowry in lieu of khullah.

In response to the allegations levelled against him, Ansari filed a written statement denying all the accusations. Earlier, the court had tried to persuade the couple to compromise in a pre-trial session held last month, but it ended in failure.

While granting the decree in Shahzadi’s favour, the judge stated: “The facts show that the parties cannot live in union particularly when the plaintiff has categorically stated that she had developed hatred against her husband.”

The Express Tribune

By: Z Khan

STUTTGART, GERMANY: I believe that to an extent, print and electronic media should be blamed for the lack of awareness among people about the achievements of our women. One rarely gets to read or watch the outstanding work that a lot of women in our country have been doing.

Mere workshops like the one Ms Javed holds will not help alleviate the situation. The good work done by women deserves much more coverage to improve the attitude that the general public has regarding women leaders.

The Express Tribune