A 13-year old girl has filed a petition before the Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Wednesday seeking protection and action against her father, brother in-law and police. She was to wed a 55-year-old man against Rs 70,000. She has filed the petition before the LHC through Judicial Activism Panel (JAP), a human rights and public interest litigation association.
Both the father Irshad Ahmed and brother in law Mahboob Ali of the girl, Saadia, were allegedly forcing her to marry a 55-year-old labourer Ijaz in exchange for Rs 70,000. Through JAP Chairman Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique she said they had planned her nikah on July 19.
Advocate Siddique submitted in the petition Mahboob wanted Saadia and her sisters to continue to live with him so that he could sell them off for large sums of money. He said Saadia had learnt of her impending nuptials on July 12 when Ijaz was brought to the house to see her. He said she had run away because she didn't want to marry Ijaz, or any other man for that matter.
He submitted before the court that Mahboob and Irshad were constantly managing police raids in search of Saadia to fulfil their motive but she with her mother had taken shelter at some undisclosed place. He prayed to direct the concerned police not to harass minor Saadia, her siblings, her mother and other relatives and instead provide protection to them. He also prayed for action against her father and brother-in-law for trying to sell her.