January 06, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 26, 1428

GUJRANWALA, Jan 5: Judicial Magistrate Chaudhry Anwer Ali on Saturday ordered two-day judicial remand of a man who wed his stepsister.

On Friday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Mustafa Tanveer Safwat annulled Karamat Ali Shah’s marriage with his half sister, Faiza Batool, in the light of a DNA report, which showed that Karamat was the son of a man who was also Faiza’s father. Faiza is now eight-month pregnant.

Abbas Ali Shah, the plaintiff in the case and father of Karamat and Faiza, wed Ghulam Fatima for ‘halala’ some 30 years ago on the request of his friend and Fatima’s former husband Haji Shah.

Eight months after her marriage, pregnant Fatima got divorce from Abbas and again wed her former husband, Haji Shah. She gave birth to Karamat, Abbas’ son, in Haji Shah’s house.

Years later, Karamat started visiting Abbas’ house and developed courtship with his daughter, Faiza. They did not take into consideration Abbas’ claim that they should not behave this way because they were siblings.

On Jan 17, 2007, Faiza wed Karamat, the ‘son of Haji Shah’ of Tahli Goraya (Pindi Bhattiyan), without the consent of her father. Karamat did not have to consult his mother, Ghulam Fatima, and ‘father’ Haji Shah because both of them had died.

On Jan 27, Faiza told a local magistrate that she wed ‘her cousin’ Karamat on her free will.

On July 5, Abbas of Noshehra Road (Gujranwala) filed a complaint with Baghbanpura police against the ‘abduction’ of his daughter, Faiza, by Karamat and his friends.

He submitted to the police that Faiza and Karamat were siblings, and that they wanted to marry each other. The police registered a case and started investigation.

On July 11, Faiza told a district court that she was not abducted rather she wed Karamat. She turned down her father’s claim that Karamat was her stepbrother.

On July 20, Additional District and Sessions Judge Mustafa Tanveer Safwat declared the case ‘out-of-ordinary’ and ordered a DNA test of Abbas and Karamat.

Karamat challenged the verdict in the Lahore High Court that was later turned down.

On Jan 4, 2008, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Shafi, the investigation officer of the Baghbanpura police station, submitted Abbas and Karamat’s DNA test reports to the court, which validated Abbas’ claim that Karamat was his son and Faiza’s stepbrother.

After the DNA test reports, Karamat confessed in the court that he committed a blunder by marrying his stepsister, sought clemency from the judge and his father and vowed to divorce Faiza.

The court ‘annulled’ the marriage and sent Karamat to jail.

Abbas told Dawn that he was ‘wailing’ before Karamat and Faiza that they were siblings, but they disregarded his warning. “They got married and started the sin.” He said his son’s ‘sin’ was ‘unforgivable’ and he must be punished for it.

Police are raiding for Faiza’s arrest.