Habib Khan : “Father forces minor girl to marry 72-year-old, police rescue”

In a shocking incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, police successfully thwarted an attempt to marry off a 12-year-old girl to a 72-year-old man in Charsadda town. The groom, identified as Habib Khan, was arrested by authorities before the ‘Nikkah’ ceremony could take place. The girl’s father, Alam Syed, had allegedly agreed to sell his daughter to the elderly man for PKR 500,000.

The intervention by the police prevented the illegal marriage from taking place, with the ‘Nikkah Khwan’ also being apprehended. However, the girl’s father managed to escape from the scene before he could be arrested.

Following the incident, a case has been registered against the girl’s father, the 72-year-old groom, and the ‘Nikkah Khwan’ under the Child Marriage Act. Despite stringent laws against child marriage in Pakistan, such incidents continue to occur, highlighting the need for greater enforcement and awareness.

Similar incidents have been reported in other parts of the country, with law enforcement agencies recently preventing forced marriages of young girls to much older men in Rajanpur and Thatta. In one case, an 11-year-old girl in Rajanpur was at risk of marrying a 40-year-old man, while another young girl was saved from marrying a 50-year-old landlord in Thatta.

On May 6, police in Swat arrested a 70-year-old man for marrying a 13-year-old girl, once again underscoring the prevalence of child marriage in certain communities. The swift action taken by the authorities in these cases is crucial in protecting the rights and well-being of vulnerable children.