Labourer sells daughter to feed family
DADU: Police stopped marriage of an 11-year-old girl to a 55-year-old man in Ratoo Khan Solangi village in Khairpur Nathan Shah taluka on Monday.
The girl was sold into marriage for Rs70,000 to a Saudi-returned Haji Sher Mohammad Solangi, 55.
Police raided the house of Mohammad Khan Solangi, the girl’s father, when he and his family were preparing to solemnise 11-year-old Zahida Solngai’s nikkah with Haji Sher.
Police arrested Mohammad Khan, Haji Sher and three others and also took the girl into protective custody. They had been kept Thariri Mohbat police station.
Mohammad Khan told journalists that he was a poor labourer and could not provide two times meal to his family. He admitted he had sold his daughter for Rs70,000 because of extreme poverty.
Haji Sher said that he had purchased the girl from his father and he wanted to marry her with her parents’ consent. Zahida told police that she was not willing to marry an old man and her parents were forcing her into the marriage.
The SHO of Thariri Mohbat police station Ali Haider Charan said that Mohammad Khan had sold his underage daughter and agreed to marry her, which was a crime. Dadu DPO Ghazi Salahuddin told journalists that Zahida would be produced in court to record her statement.
There are reports that police have also arrested the maulvi who was coming to solemnise the nikkah. Thariri Mohbat police have denied the maulvi’s arrest.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/2/2010
” 
” 
” 
” 
