SUKKUR: A 60-year-old man was remanded in police custody for two days by a civil court in Thull town of Jacobabad district for solemnising marriage with a 10-year-old girl on Saturday, the B-Section police said on Sunday.

According to the FIR registered against the groom, Karam Ali Pahore, the police foiled the Nikah while a ceremony was in progress in Naseer Samego village near Thull. The suspect was arrested and Gulzadi was also taken into protective custody but her father, Gul Hassan Pahore, and Maulvi Amin, who performed the Nikah, managed to escape, the police said.

The police quoted the groom as proudly telling them that he had paid Rs400,000 to the girl’s family for the marriage.

Meanwhile, acting upon the court order, the police handed over the girl to her mother and carried out raids at various places for the arrest of Gul Hassan and Maulvi Amin.

Eight other people, including the girl’s paternal uncle, Shahzaur, were also nominated in the FIR for their involvement in the underage marriage and their role in the arrangement.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2016