June 5, 2016 – Pakistan Gender News

SUKKUR: In yet another case of child marriage, an 11-year-old girl was married to a 61-year-old local landlord in Naseer Khan Samejo village, Thul taluka, Jacobabad, within the jurisdiction of the B-Section police on Saturday.

Shortly after the nikah, the police managed to arrest the groom and took the minor girl into protective custody. According to a Thul-based journalist, Gul Hassan Pahore had consented to marry his 11-year-old daughter, Gul Zadi, to 61-year-old Karamullah Pahore after taking Rs300,000. On Saturday, when all the arrangements had been finalised and the maulvi had been called to solemnise the nikah, someone from the village informed the police. Child marriage bill: Fresh draft referred to religious affairs panel

B-Section SHO Ghulam Bashir Khokhar told The Express Tribune that when he received information about the minor girl being married to an elderly man, he decided to wait for the bride and the groom at the exit of the village instead of rushing to their house. He explained that he decided to do so as when the police raid the houses in such cases, family members often level allegations against the law enforcers of torture and stealing valuables.

“Therefore, I, along with my team, kept waiting at the exit of the village and as soon as the car carrying the bride and the groom appeared, we took both of them into custody and allowed the other three women [accompanying them] to go,” he said. The man and the girl were produced in the court of a civil judge of Thul who, after hearing the case, remanded the accused into judicial custody for seven days while the girl, as per her desire, was allowed to go with her mother. He said that the girl’s father and the maulvi are still at large and will be arrested soon.

Bill aiming to ban child marriages shot down Meanwhile, the journalist claimed that the B-Section also arrested Gul Hassan along with Karamullah while the maulvi, Muhammad Amin Pahore, managed to escape. The police registered an FIR against Karamullah, Gul Hassan and Muhammad Amin under the Child Marriage Act. The journalist told The Express Tribune that Karamullah is a local landlord while the girl’s father is a poor man. Taking advantage of his poverty, Karamullah offered him Rs300,000 to marry his minor daughter to him. Accepting his offer, Gul Hassan consented to marry his daughter to him.

Express Tribune:

By Israr Ahmed

RAWALPINDI:The Murree police have approached the Saddar Division Information Technology (IT) Laboratory to acquire cell phone data records of three men suspected of involvement in the immolation and murder of a female teacher.

The suspects have claimed that they were not present in the village when the incident took place. Teenage girl burned alive in Murree for refusing marriage proposal Schoolteacher Maria Sadaqat Abbasi, 19, who died at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences due to severe burnt wounds, was set on fire for by four or five men in Murree earlier this week for refusing a marriage proposal from another school staff member, who was more than twice her age.

Sources said that the Murree police have requested the Saddar Division IT lab to obtain call detail record (CDR) data for the devices of the detained men to determine whether or not they were present in the village or at the crime scene when the victim was set on fire and left to die. In the meanwhile, Shaukat, Mian Arshad and Riffat Mehmood, have been detained by the Murree police.

A senior police officer requesting anonymity said that the police have decided to verify the claims of the accused using cell phone data. “We must have strong and irrefutable evidence before [proceeding further],” he said. He said the case was being investigated from different angles.

Honour killing: Jirga ordered girl’s murder for helping friend elope, says police
On the other hand, the police have not shown official arrests of two accused — Shaukat and Mian Arshad — in their records, or produced them before a court. The third accused, Riffat Mehmood, had been given into physical custody of the police by a local magistrate.

Meanwhile, more than 60 teachers staged a protest demonstration at GPO Chowk in Murree in favour of Shaukat. The protesting teachers were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans in his favour, and claimed that he was a retired teacher. The teachers condemned the registration of a case against Shaukat and asked the police to investigate the case purely on merit. Sources said that villagers are also pressuring the victim’s family to withdraw the case.

Express Tribune:

Day: June 5, 2016

61-year-old landlord arrested for marrying minor girl in Jacobabad