Young woman married off to 60-year-old man on panchayat’s order in Punjab

LAHORE: A young woman was forcibly married off to a 60-year-old man on panchayat’s order in Punjab, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the woman’s brother had married a girl of his choice, without the consent of her family in Pakpattan. Following the marriage, the couple had managed to flee from the area.

Later, the girl’s family called a meeting of the village Panchayat who had decided to give the boy’s sister hand in marriage to the 60-year-old influential man under the ‘vani’ custom to compensate for her brother’s free-will marriage.

Last year on December 8, Police had claimed to have arrested members of a jirga over charge of declaring a seven-year-old girl vani and forcibly marrying her off to settle an honour-related case.

According to details, a jirga had been held at a local landlord’s place in Kashmore area of the Sindh province to settle-off a case pertaining to honour.

The jirga members had decided to marry-off a seven-year-old girl and impose fine upto Rs 1.2 million on the man for his alleged involvement in the case.

The authorities had arrested all those involved in the case and shifted them to a police station for further probe over an activity declared illegal under the country’s rules.