ONE of the old customs, ghag is a tradition common among the people of mountai-nous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), formerly called the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), and in Balochistan, in which a person intends to marry a woman without her consent.

It is known as a pre-planned announcement and clear intention of the man to marry a particular woman. This inglorious practice is carried out in many ways.

For starters, a man sends his proposal to the woman’s house, or the man fires three aerial gunshots while standing in front of her doorstep, and announces her name publicly.

Moreover, when ghag has been announced on any girl’s name, she is not allowed to marry another man; she will either marry the culprit or stay single for life.

Ghag is also used as a tool to exact revenge on the girl’s family by claiming the girl without her consent. It ruins the life of the woman and her family.

There have been several unreported cases of suicide because of ghag. This social evil has destroyed the lives of many hapless women.

This is an old custom that continues to humiliate the dignity of women in blatant violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

The KP government, with help of some secular parties of the province, has decided to declare this custom illegal. In the proposed legislation, it has been mentioned that a person who will be found involved in this offence will be liable for seven years of imprisonment and Rs6,000 fine.

Ghag is a social evil and a sign of regressive mentality, and this should be eliminated from the northern areas so that women may choose their groom as well.

The provincial government may organise public awareness campaigns and tell people how this shameful practice violates the dignity of women and contravenes the freedom and rights given to them by Islam. In this regard, the help of the clergy can be vital.

In addition to the move by the provin-cial government, the federal government should also bring this abominable practice to an end.

Mere legislation will not suffice; strong implementation of the laws is essential for doing away with such regressive practices.

Ayaz Ali Bhatti
Thari Mirwah

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2022