April 13, 2015 – Pakistan Gender News

April 13, 2015April 14, 2015

Underage marriage bid foiled

LAHORE: Police foiled an attempt to send off (rukhsati) a six-year-old girl with her 22-year-old groom in Dubai Town near Thokar Niaz baig here on Sunday.

Sumaira was married to a man thrice of her age because the girl’s family was unable to repay a loan to the father of groom Khizer, Chuhng ASP Irfan Ali Samoon told Dawn while quoting girl’s aunt.

“The bride is a Class-I student while the groom is a labourer at a farmhouse in Green Acres, Nawab Town,” the ASP said adding that parents of the bride and the groom were among seven persons arrested for arranging the marriage.

A child rights activist had alerted the Nawab Town police about the marriage ceremony.

The ASP said that groom Khizer, his father Ijaz Husain, his mother, bride Sumaira, her father Abbas and stepmother and two other relatives were arrested.

The minor girl (bride) was later handed over to the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau.

He said that Sumaira was six-month-old when her mother had died and her father contracted the second marriage.

The families of the bride and the groom besides participants of the marriage belonged to a remote village of the Bahawalnagar district.

The ASP said that families of the minor girl and the youth had already completed rituals like mehndi and solemnized nikah while rukhsati (sending off) was being held when the police intervened.

He said that dowry articles, including cloths and jewellery, besides food and catering items for walima ceremony were also seized.

He said the minor girl was living with her aunt, but her father Abbas had taken her to Lahore about six months back to get her married with a person of his in-laws.

One of the participants told police that it was an exchange marriage.

Girl’s father Abbas had contracted second marriage with the aunt of the groom some three years back and had committed to marrying her daughter in his in-laws.

Police had registered a case against the suspects under the Child Marriage Restraint Act on the complaint of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau.

Dawn

April 13, 2015April 14, 2015

Tortured body of abducted girl found

SIALKOT: The tortured body of a three-year-old girl, who had been abducted two days back from outside her house in Nizamabad, was found in Shah Malook Road, Pasrur, on Sunday.

Reports said that some unidentified men had abducted trader’s daughter. Some local people spotted the brutally tortured body of the girl at a deserted place.

Later, the victim’s family staged a demonstration by placing the slain girl’s body on the road.

The protesting family demanded of the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister to ensure the early arrest of murderers.

DPO Dr Shehzad Asif Khan said that police teams were raiding to arrest the killers.

INJURED: A labourer was injured seriously when a gas cylinder exploded in his house in Sabzkot village in Pasrur on Sunday.

Police said Zahid Hussain, 42, was alone in his house when the incident occurred. He was shifted to a hospital in a critical condition.

Dawn

April 13, 2015April 14, 2015

Women’s role vital for progress: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the targets of development cannot be achieved without bringing women, who constitute a major portion of country’s population, into national mainstream.

He said that Pakistani women are very talented and playing an important role in education, health, information technology, banking, engineering and other sectors. He said the provincial government had taken historic decisions for development of women, protection of their rights as well as economic empowerment. He said that special centres would be set up for providing immediate justice to the women who were subjected to violence and the first centre was being set up in Multan.

He said women would be deputed at these special centres and police, prosecution, medical and forensic facilities would be available under one roof at these centres. He said this first and unique centre of South Asia would play an important role in addressing the women’s complaints.

According to a handout issued here Sunday, the chief minister was talking to a delegation of PML-N women assembly members.He said that women played a key role in the evolution of a society; instead of sitting at homes after completing education, women should join the practical field and contribute to national development and prosperity. He said employment quota for women in government jobs had been increased up to 15 percent while a three-year relaxation in age limit was also being given to women for giving them more job opportunities.

He said the government’s decision to give 33 percent representation to women in all decision-making boards and committees would result in their effective participation in decision-making process. He said daycare centres were being set up in all government and non-government institutions with daycare fund while the law regarding protection of women against harassment at workplace had also been enforced.

He said that legislation had been undertaken to ensure the right of women in inheritance. He said that steps would be taken with the consultation of women for their development and empowerment.Women assembly members said the historic steps taken by the Punjab government for women empowerment would yield positive results.

The News