A panchayat on Monday allegedly threatened to kill the relatives of a man who contracted a love marriage with a woman in Rahim Yar Khan's Sadiqabad subdivision if he failed to pay Rs1 million as a penalty to the council.
Jawed, 20, and Nusrat, 18 — both residents of the Sadiqabad 146-P area — went into hiding after contracting a love marriage in court earlier this week.
Jawed, the groom, a cargo rickshaw driver in the village, told DawnNews that after the couple went into hiding, a panchayat was called at the house of Yaqoob, the father of the bride, Nusrat.
Yaqoob demanded that Jawed's 16-year-old sister be betrothed to his five-year-old son, Ahmed, Jawed claimed.
However, when Jawed's family refused, the council ordered them to pay a fine of Rs1m within seven days and leave the area, Jawed alleged.
The panchayat allegedly threatened to kill Jawed's family members if the sum was not paid within a week.
Jawed and Nusrat had earlier approached the police station to file an application but were allegedly prevented from doing so by officials there.
The couple then recorded a video statement detailing the orders of the panchayat and seeking protection in an appeal to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the deputy inspector general Punjab.
After news of the incident was leaked to media, an official at the Saddar Sadiqabad police station contacted Jawed and asked him to meet with officials there.
Jawed, who had escaped to nearby Ghotki with Nusrat, agreed to meet the official Monday afternoon.
