CHITRAL: A local organisation has requested the Chitral police to conduct an inquiry into marriage of an underage girl of grade 9 with an MNA from Balochistan.

In an application, Anjuman Dawat-o-Azeemat has contended that the news of the underage girl’s marriage with an elderly person had gone viral on social media, angering people.

The police have been requested to conduct inquiry into whether the girl had attained the marriageable age, and if not, take action against all those responsible under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act.

The social media is brimming with comments on the marriage of 14-year-old girl with a man about four times of her age. Involvement of a local JUI-F leader in the marriage is also alleged.

When contacted, Chitral police station SHO Inspector Sajjad Ahmed confirmed receiving the application from the organisation and said a proper inquiry would be started as the girl’s father was not presently in Chitral.

He said the girl was a student of Government Girls High School, Jughoor, where her date of birth had been recorded as Oct 28, 2006, which showed that she had not attained the age of marriage.

He said a few days ago on the complaint of the organisation, the police had reached the girl’s home, but her father had denied the girl’s marriage and had even given an affidavit to this affect.

The bridegroom, Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi, had won NA-263 Qilla Abdullah seat in the 2018 general elections on the MMA ticket.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2021