CHITRAL: Member of the National Assembly from Balochistan Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi has tied the knot with a 14-year-old girl from Chitral.
As per details, MNA Ayubi was elected in the National Assembly from constituency NA-263 (Kila Abdullah) as a leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F).
According to sources, the girl belongs to the Daroosh area of Chitral and was currently out of the district. As per the school record, the girl was born in Sept 2005 and is only 14-year old sources added. The girl’s nikkah was solemnized out of Chitral and the matter was still under investigation police revealed.
On the other hand, a few days back, the police had reached the girl’s home. However, the Lower Chitral DPO Sonia Shimroz Khan said that the girl’s father had denied the girl’s marriage. He had agreed in writing that he would ask the local police before a proper marriage ceremony.
Meanwhile, Tahafuz-e-Haqooq-e-Chitral Chairman Pir Mukhtar Nabi said that they were consulting lawyers on this matter and announced to file a writ petition before the court of competent jurisdiction against the MNA.
In an application, Anjuman Dawat-o-Azeemat has contended that the news of the underage girl’s marriage with an elderly person had gone viral on social media, angering people.
The police have been requested to conduct an inquiry into whether the girl had attained the marriageable age, and if not, take action against all those responsible under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act.
Child marriages in Pakistan are a serious issue and one that needs to be seriously dealt with. Although fines and punishments exist, laws on child marriage have little impact as they are not well enforced. According to national law, the legal minimum age is 16. In fact, if the parents showed consent for under-age girls’ marriages they are also to be punished under the law.
