PESHAWAR, Sept 27: A teenage Afghan girl, who had allegedly been sold by her father to an aged person, was sent to the women crisis centre by a local court on Wednesday.

The judicial magistrate Ahmad Iftikhar directed that the girl, Ms Sajeela, should be kept in the provincial government- run women crisis centre till the next order.

The girl, aged 18, has escaped from her home in the Afghan city of Khost to avoid forced marriage by her father. She was spotted at the Kohat bus stand here by officials of the Bana Mari police station. Police produced her before the court on Wednesday.

Narrating her ordeal, the girl stated that she had been living with her father, Ibraheem Khan, and other family members in Khost. She said that a few days ago her father sold her to an Afghan named Agha Jan for a sum of Rs 250,000.

Ms Sajeela stated that Agha Jan was about the age of her grandfather and was already married and had eight children. She added that she was against the match and she requested her brothers and mother to convey her displeasure to her father.

“My family members also requested my father to refuse the proposal, but he did not accept our pleas and decided to go ahead with his decision,” the girl stated. Left with no other option, she said, she left her home two days ago and reached Peshawar.

Ms Sajeela stated that she had an aunt residing in Bara (Khyber Agency) and she intended to go there. However, at a bus stand here the police inquired from her about her presence there and took her into custody.

She requested the court that she did not want to go back to her father.