GUJRAT: A 16-year-old Italian national girl of Pakistani-origin, who was saved by police from a forced marriage with her underage cousin, on the intervention of Italian embassy, has been living in a public shelter and wants to go back to Italy.

The family of Isra Khan, 16, had been living in Cravelcore, Bologna, Italy, before returning to Pakistan. On their return, Isra was forced by her father to marry her 10-year-old cousin at Nagrianwala village in Kunjah police around three weeks ago.

However, the girl somehow managed to inform the Italian embassy in Islamabad about her plight. The embassy informed the authorities concerned in Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs as well as Gujrat police about the situation, sharing Isra’s contact details, whereas she had also been in touch with the deputy head of Italian mission in Islamabad.

As per the report submitted by District Police Officer Syed Touseef Haider to the ministry of foreign affairs last week, the girl Irsa Khan told Kunjah police that her father had been forcing her to marry his nephew who was only 10 years old.

She said when she refused the proposal, her family threatened to kill her.

Due to these circumstances, the girl in her statement recorded at the police station, said she wanted to go back to Italy since she was facing death threats and did not want to marry against her will.

The police produced her in the court of area magistrate who ordered to send her to Darul Amaan (government shelter) and she had been living there since then.

The issue of Isra’s forced marriage was also raised in the Italian parliament after which the diplomatic channels were activated and the girl was rescued.

The Italian embassy was also informed by Gujrat police that the girl’s travel documents had also been destroyed by her family to thwart any attempt by her to travel abroad.

The interior ministry and the Punjab government’s home department had also ordered necessary action and sought a detailed report on the issue from the Gujrat DPO and the deputy commissioner.

The officers have dispatched their respective reports to the authorities concerned in Lahore and Islamabad.

Gujrat Additional Deputy Commissioner (general) Tauqeer Ilyas Cheema told Dawn that the girl could only leave the Darul Amaan with the permission of area magistrate concerned who was currently her custodian.

Earlier, in April 2018, a 26-year-old Italian woman of Pakistani origin, Sana Cheema, had died mysteriously near Mungowal area in Kunjah police precincts.

Her body was later exhumed on court orders and her father, uncle and a brother were arrested on murder charges. However, the suspects were later acquitted by a court on the basis of weak evidence in 2019.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2020