SUKKUR: A poor peasant seeking protection for his five-year-old daughter from being killed under the custom of karo-kari, had to feel having landed in another trouble when a judicial magistrate ordered him to furnish a surety bond in a sum of Rs200,000 if he wanted to keep her custody.

Police had taken the minor girl into their custody after her uncle, Arib Banglani, along with three elders of the community, declared her liable to be killed under the karo-kari. The suspects named Bachal Banglani, a prominent landowner of Mahrullah village, in Thull town of Jacobabad district, as the person with whom she allegedly had an extramarital affair. All four suspects were later booked.

The girl’s father, Mir Hazar Banglani, had earlier approached the C-Section police and argued that his daughter was too little to indulge in such an affair and that she was physically well and fine, which negated the suspects’ allegation.

He stated that the suspects actually wanted to avenge Bachal Banglani’s refusal to cultivate Arib’s lands and for this purpose they were threatening to kill him after accusing him of having an extramarital affair with his [Mir’s] minor daughter.

Jacobabad SSP Sumair Channa ordered that the girl be taken into protective custody and suspects be arrested. However, the suspects went underground.

Mir Hazar Banglani and his daughter were produced before a judicial magistrate to record their statement. The girl stated that she wanted to live with his father (no more in police custody).

The judge ordered her father to furnish a surety bond of Rs200,000 if he wanted to keep his daughter’s custody. The poor father looked baffled when, according to the area SHO, the magistrate warned him of legal action if any harm came to the girl.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2022