PESHAWAR: Nadia Karamat, a resident of Peshawar, has claimed that her 14-year-old daughter, Manahil Irfan, was allegedly abducted and forcibly married by a local young man, Adil Yaqoob.
Manahil, who came under Nadia’s care due to her family death in gas explosion at a young age, is still legally a minor, she said. Nadia said that she was Manahil’s guardian.
She said that she is working woman and during the day away for work. She said that one day when she returned home in Railway Quarters area of Peshawar after work, she did not found her daughter at home. “When I inquired neighbors about whereabouts, they said that girl will return home soon,” however, she added a few days later they informed that Manahil has married the young man.
Prominent children’s rights attorney Mahwish Mehib Kakakhel adv has filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court for the recovery of Manahil and against the forced marriage. According to the law, sexual relations with a girl under the age of 16 are legally considered a rape, with severe penalties.
Ms Kakakhel said that in the first place she was Christian and seduced and coerced into marriage. She said that the girl was a minor; therefore, this marriage has no legal effect. Besides, she said that all the Chiristain pastors of the city have agreed to not to solemnize the marriages of the minors.
According to local police, there has been an increase in cases of forced marriages this year, with 53 incidents reported. Most of these cases have been processed under Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which considers abduction and forced marriage serious crimes.
Nadia Karamat has appealed for strict action against those involved to recover Manahil and help prevent such incidents. The Peshawar High Court will soon hear the case.
