Another Karo-kari victim escapes punishment
KARACHI: Rozina Ujjan wife of Sadiq Uhrain narrowly escaped from becoming victim of Karo-kari and managed to arrive here on April 5.
According to details, Rozina, teacher by profession, was married to Uhrain five months ago. She was accused of having illicit relations with a fifteen-year-old boy in her village in District Khairpur.
Rozina, four-month pregnant, was confident when she narrated her story before the newsmen at the Karachi Press Club and told that she had escaped from an honour killing.
She said that she was standing with her younger sister outside the house while a 15-year-old boy, lived in the neighbouring house was also standing nearby. According to her, her husband saw her talking to the said boy and suspected that I had some illicit relations with the boy. He also accused that I was planning to elope with the boy. “He raised the issue and said that my act would bring bad name to the entire family. On these grounds my husband divorced me,” she said.
Rozina, after hectic efforts, approached the PPP MPA, Humaira Almani, who told this correspondent that she had informed the senior officials of the Sindh government including Home Department, IG Sindh and CCPO but till the filing of this report none of them responded Humaira’s call.
Humaira, however, said that she would raise voice against Karo-kari in the assembly, schedule to be held on Tuesday (today). She also said that she had moved a resolution on December 12, 2003 but it was dismissed by the chair.
On the question of joint move over the sensitive issues by the 33 women MPAs in Sindh Assembly, she said that true to the fact that women issues were above the party policies but many of the women MPAs were reluctant to discuss women problems. Above all, she said, many of the women MPAs are the wives of Vaderas and Jagirdars and would never table such an issue, which would be against their traditions and customs.
Later, Jirga was called on March 14 who gave a decision that Rozina was innocent and an amount of Rs80,000 was obtained from the family of boy to free him of all charges on the basis that he was under-age.
Another Jirga, then issued another decision under which Rozina was declared Kari. Under this local law, relatives are bound to kill the girl. In the tradition of Sindh, it is a common practice that a girl or a married woman, if found guilty of having illicit relations are liable to killed under honour killing. In this case the accused women are never provided an opportunity to give their statement to clear their position.
Rozina is a matriculate woman. She was teaching in a local school in Khairpur, Taluka Gambat.
According to her, men don’t like women moving out of the traditional chardiwari. They fear that the exposure of woman to new people, would develop ideas and influence as well as self-confidence in them. Her in-laws also wanted that she should stop teaching but, she did not listen to them, which infuriated them, and punished her in the shape that her husband divorced her.
Rozina burst into tears while she was narrating her story. One of her relatives who accompanied her told that her father-in-law had warned that she will be punished if she did not quit the teaching job. It is, however, pertinent to note that under the Islamic Laws divorce is not applicable on the pregnant women.
Source: The News
Date:4/6/2004
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