KOHAT, May 12: The mother of Zafran Bibi whose sentence of stoning to death has recently been suspended by the federal Shariat court says that her daughter was the prettiest of her 10 children but as she belonged to a poor and helpless family she was repeatedly assaulted by her brother-in-law in the absence of her husband.

She said a number of local as well as people from across the world had visited her and promised their support. She claimed that majority of villagers were on her side and came to her house to share her grief.

Talking to Dawn at her kutcha house which has no boundary walls and electricity in the remote village of Chorlaki Shiraka Bibi while narrating the ordeal disclosed that four years back the same brother-in-law of her daughter raped her repeatedly after which she became pregnant. Without telling the other family members she contacted a local doctor for her abortion.

The matter was discussed with only three elders of the area who preferred that it would be in the interest of both the families to hide the incident from Zafran’s husband, her father and brothers.

With tears trickling down her cheeks she said that instead of teaching a lesson to his brother who is the main accused her son-in-law despite knowing all the facts did not say in the court at an earlier stage of the trial that her wife was innocent.

During a meeting with her daughter who had been lodged in the death cell despite instructions from the concerned government quarters that she be moved to a barrack with her one and a half year old baby Zafran told her that she wanted to live with her parents for the rest of her life but was very worried about the future of her three children.

She complained that her husband who occasionally visits her in the jail threatens her of killing once she was freed. “I will throw you to the fish in The Indus if you are released or you will die in this death cell”, he warned her during the last meeting, Shiraka told this correspondent.

Shiraka Bibi said that the elders have now decided that in case Zafran was released she would be given a choice either to live with her husband or her parents. According to the traditions of the area she would sit in the centre of a ground with her father standing on her right side and her husband on her left side. Then she would be asked to move to the side to which she wanted to live with. She would be allowed to make an independent decision according to her wishes.

She said that we have told her daughter that if she decided to live with them they would accept her wholeheartedly but in that case the children had to be surrendered to the father under the local custom. The elders had already been informed that if she decides to live with her husband once again for the sake of her children they would not allow the accused to live in the same house. And that the jirga had to guarantee security of the life of Zafran, Shiraka who is suspicious about the intentions of her son-in-law said.

A number of local people who lived near the house of Shiraka Bibi said that they would also accept Zafran with full honour as she had already suffered a lot at the hands of her in-laws whose track record was not good.

She informed that an issue less couple from Karachi who are settled abroad had approached them for the custody of the baby if God forbid her daughter is awarded the sentence. We would do so for the better and safe future of the baby who is unfortunately a girl and they could not leave her to mercy of the demoralised society here.

Shiraka Bibi became emotional when asked the same question and said that she least cared about the world now and she would keep her close to her heart under all circumstances and try to keep her composed and happy. God destined her to undergo such misery and it could happen to anyone so I think she lost nothing, Shiraka remarked.

Meanwhile the jail authorities sometimes chain Zafran Bibi who wants to finish her life and had injured herself once by hitting her head against the wall of the death cell.