KARACHI, Aug 12: A woman has appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to provide protection to her and her husband after the couple were labelled karo-kari and threatened with dire consequences by influentials of her native area.

Naureen Kanwal, daughter of Mohammad Ibrahim, resident of Jampur, Rajanpur, Sindh, said that after her marriage with Shoaib Ahmed against the will of the local chieftain and elders, these elements were allegedly trying to kill her and her husband.

The woman, in her statement, said that her parents had handed her over to a relative, Ghulam Yaseen, when she was two-years-old.

“During my stay at Yaseen’s house I not only lost the love of my parents but was tortured and faced a lot of problems, including sexual harassment,” she complained.

She said that her engagement with Shoaib Ahmed, son of Ahmad Bux, was decided during her childhood. But following the dictates of local chieftain Haji Nazar her parents wanted to marry her off to an already married man whom she described as “old but childless.”

“When my parents did not listen to my refusal I left my home on Aug 2, 2007, and got a court marriage with Shoaib Ahmed on Aug 3 in Hyderabad.

“Upon receiving the photocopies of my nikahnama through a courier service Haji Nazar called my father, relatives and other elders and declared us karo-kari,” she said.

She stated that during the meeting of a ‘council,’ not only was a false kidnapping case registered against her husband but it was also decided to kill the couple whenever they were found.

She accused Mohammad Jaffar, Mohammad Nazak, Kaleem, Haji Sattar, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Yaseen, Abdul Ghaffar, Nasrullah and Mohammad Naeem of planning to kill them.

Naureen Kanwal said the local police was being used to torture the relatives of her husband to force the couple to return.

With her statement, the woman has also attached copies of her nikahnama.