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SC orders legislation against Vani
The Supreme Court on Monday called on the government to either introduce new legislature or amend the existing statute on the dissolution of marriages of compensation to eradicate the customs of Vanni and Swara that prevail in many rural areas of the country. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while heading a full bench, also ordered that cases be registered under section 310 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against panchayat members of tehsil Arifwala who had decreed two marriages of compensation, including that of a three-year-old girl as indemnity for the rape of another girl by her father. Qureshan Bibi, a resident of Arifwala, Pakpattan, was raped by the infants father. In a letter to the chief justice, she recalled how her cousin, Aslam, had raped her at gunpoint. When the family learned of her ordeal, Aslam confessed to his crime, saying that he would marry Quresham. When he reneged on his pledge, however, a panchayat ordered that Quresham be married to Aslams younger brother as compensation. When Quresham objected to the decision, the tribal elders threatened to demolish her house. The panchayat also ruled that Aslams three-year-old daughter be married to Qureshams 14-year-old brother. Posted by: Fred 2006-04-25 |
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