LHC allows 15-year-old girl to go with parents
LAHORE: Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed Khan of the Lahore High Court (LHC), on Friday, ordered to give the custody of a 15 year-old-girl to her parents after she was recovered from the detention of her husband who had allegedly kidnapped her and forced her to sign the nikahnama.
The judge also ordered the Kanganpur police to produce the girl’s daughter, Fatima, till May 23. The girl’s father, Allah Rakha, had filed the habeas corpus petition for Farzana’s recovery.
The petitioner’s counsel, Rana Saeed Akhtar, submitted that Farzana was kidnapped by Rehmatullah. He said that the petitioner had approached the police time and again but it had refused to register a case or recover the girl under the influence of the accused party.
He alleged that the accused even threatened to kill the petitioner’s children, hence to save his family, Allah Rakha moved from Kanganpur to Gujranwala. The opposition’s counsel refuted the allegation and said that the girl married Rehmatullah out of her own free will.
He said it was merely an allegation that Farzana was forced to sign the nikahnama. “Also, Farzana was not detained and there were no restrictions on her movement,” he said. On direction of the court, Kanganpur SHO carried out an operation and recovered the girl from Rehmatullah’s residence.
Farzana, while issuing an official statement in the court, said that Rehmatullah had kidnapped her from her house 18 months ago and had been subjecting her to torture and electric shocks.
She revealed that she was forced to sign the nikahnama and also had a six-month-old daughter, Fatima. Farzana said that she unable to contact her parents since she was kept prisoner and not allowed to move from one room to the other. However, a few days ago, with the help of one of her neighbours, Farzana was able to call her father and told him of the entire situation.
After recording her statement, the judge said that although Farzana had contracted a valid marriage, however, she could not be confined and restrained from movement to any place of her choice. The judge allowed Farzana to go with her parents after she asked for it.
Source: Daily Times
Date:5/21/2011
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