PESHAWAR, Jan 26: A woman of Iranian origin on Thursday requested a local court not to hand her over to her husband as he had been forcing her into prostitution. The woman, Mariam Faizi, is living lodged in the provincial government-run Women Crisis Centre and was again sent to the shelter by the court. The court headed by presided over by judicial magistrate Malik Amjad Rahim fixed Jan 31 for hearing of arguments on an application filed by the woman’s husband Muhammad Saleh.

The Afghan man claimed that the woman was his legally-wedded wife and he had never used her for prostitution.

An official of the crisis centre appeared before the court and stated that the woman had been residing there of her own free will. She added that the woman in question was not willing to leave with her husband as she feared that she would be again forced into prostitution.

The woman had initially visited the Faqirabad police station on Jan 3 and filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws. She maintained that she belonged to an Iranian family and had been married off to Muhammad Saleh a year ago.

The woman accused her in-laws and husband of forcing her to prostitution and on her resistance she was often tortured.

Finally, she claimed that she decided to left residence of her husband in Afghan colony and reached the police station.

The police instead of registering the FIR under the concerned Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979, only booked Muhammad saleh under section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code, dealing with public peace and tranquillity.

When the girl was produced before the court she declined to leave with her husband and was sent to the crisis centre situated in Hasthnagri area.