KARACHI, June 4: A man has sold his daughter into marriage for Rs50,000 and plans the same fate for his second daughter in order to settle gambling debts, Dawn has learnt. Former garment factory worker Abdul Razzak, 50, reportedly sold his daughter to a beggar after the disposal of his entire household’s articles did not raise enough funds to satisfy his incurable gambling habit.

Mairaj Bibi, 32, told Dawn that her husband threw her out of the house six months ago. “He allowed me to take our two young sons but kept our twin daughters Rehana and Rizwana, both 13 years old,” she said. Mairaj Bibi went to her parents’ house in Rahimyar Khan but a fortnight ago, her Karachi-based brother told her that Razzak had sold Rehana and was planning to do the same with Rizwana.

Mairaj Bibi returned to the city a week ago and was directed to the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust (ABWT).

Recounting her ordeal, Mairaj Bibi said that her husband had worked in several garment factories in the Site area but gambled away whatever he earned.

He also sold his wife’s house in Rahimyar Khan. Mairaj Bibi said that she was often beaten by her husband, who gave her no money to run the household or buy food.

As a result, she and her daughters became domestic workers. Claiming that Razzak once tried to kill her, she said that “he often threatened to sell me too.” Razzak has not had a job for a long time now, she said, and lives off the money earned by his daughters.

Desperate to get custody of the twins, Mairaj Bibi said that “I simply cannot see my daughters being traded off to beggars.”

ABWT vice chairman Sarim Burney said that the legal proceedings would be initiated after the husband had been traced.