November 02, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 1: A civil judge and judicial magistrate on Saturday ordered release of two minor children and their relatives arrested on Oct 30 during a child marriage ceremony in Nazimabad area.

The Nazimabad SHO produced Waseem ,7, son of Mohammad Ismail, Nisha, 4, daughter of Nasir Hussain, along with their relatives, Muzaffar Ali, Nasir Hussain and Mohammad Ismail in the court of the civil judge-XII, central, Zahida Parveen.

The judge ordered release of the children and directed the police to let off their relatives on a personal bond of Rs5,000 each.

The police had raided the venue of the marriage ceremony in Mujahid Colony, Nazimabad, on the information of a PPP activist, Nazakat Ali, also a relative of the families concerned. However, no case was registered due to the absence of a law against child marriage.

In their report submitted to the court, the police stated a police party foiled the child marriage and arrested some of the children’s relatives on the complaint of the UC nazim concerned.

A case could not be registered as there was no section in the Pakistan Penal Code to deal with child marriage, they maintained, requesting the judge to issue an order under the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929.

Advocate Maqbool-ur-Rahman, who represented the arrested relatives of the children, argued that a case could not be instituted against the two children. He also questioned the children’s detention for 40 hours in the police station.

He further argued that a case under the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 could be registered only after a marriage was solemnised. In this case, he added, the marriage had not been solemnised.

After recording the statements of five witnesses, the court adjourned the matter till Nov 14 to determine whether the child marriage had been solemnised or not.