HYDERABAD, Oct 10: The Shahpur Chakkar police on Monday assured the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, that woman petitioner. Sughran Bibi would not be harassed.

Ayaz Latif Palijo advocate appeared on behalf of the petitioner who stated in her petition that respondents Abdul Sattar and Jan Mohammad were her relatives and they decided to marry her to Abdul Sattar without seeking her consent because her father had married his son to the niece of Abdul Sattar.

She said since she was minor at that time so it was decided that her marriage would take place when she would reach puberty.

She refused to marry Abdul Sattar when attaining the age because of his bad reputation and she thought her life would be destroyed once she was married to him.

On her refusal the respondents pressurized and harassed her and they placed the matter before their spiritual head where it was decided that if the petitioner was not wiling to marry Sattar then it was improper to solemnize her Nikkah forcibly.

She said since the marriage was based on reciprocity so it was incumbent upon her father to marry another girl to Sattar from his family.

She said Abdul Sattar started harassment because he was desperate to marry her.

Her father submitted an application before the Taluka Police Officer Shahdadpur in this respect on December 1, 2003, complaining that respondent SHO Shahpur Chakkar and Abdul Sattar were issuing threats of kidnapping his daughter.

Her father also sent telegrams to the Sindh High Court, Sindh Chief Minister, IG Sindh against issuing of threats. Such telegrams were also sent to the DPO Sanghar on April 4, 2005.

She prayed the court to direct respondents not to harass the petitioner and her family and respondent TPO Shahdadpur should be directed to take action against SHO Shahpur Chakkar police station and private respondents.

She said in case of registration of any false FIR the same should be quashed or a judicial magistrate be directed to record her statement.

The additional advocate-general, Masood A. Noorani, filed statements of the DPO Sanghar, TPO Shahdadpur and SHO Shaharpur Chakkar before the court, denying that police were harassing the petitioner on the ground that it was a matter of civil nature.

The TPO and the SHO said no harassment would be caused to the petitioner and all the allegations against police were baseless.