HYDERABAD, March 14: The Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit bench here on Friday directed the police to produce a young woman petitioner, Gulnaz Khaskheli, resident of Jamshed colony in Nawabshah, before the court from Darul Aman on March 31.

The court also allowed a respondent, Badal, father of the woman to file his objection.

The woman has sought protection from the court after having been declared a kari by a Jirga.

The petitioner claimed her father, brother Mithal, uncles, who are cited as respondents, their supporters and Ghulam Mustafa Khaskheli who is a so-called chief of the Khaskheli community, were cruel and greedy people.

She said that they are very influential. She said that she had grown up in a society entangled in old customs and traditions are still followed.

She said that her parents had decided to marry her with an old and uneducated man for some monetary consideration although she disliked him and never thought of marrying him.

She said that she had tried her level best to convince her parents not to take such step which aimed at destroying her life and she be allowed to marry with her own free will but her community decided to thrust its decision upon her.

She claimed she fled from her house which annoyed the respondents and they held a Jirga which was presided over by Ghulam Mustafa Khaskheli which declared her as kari which means that she would be killed.

She said that she was wandering different places to seek protection but no one was ready to protect her. She stated that holding of Jirga and declaring a death sentence for her was an unconstitutional and illegal act.

The petitioner prayed the court to provide her safety and protection.

She said the SHO B-Section police station of Nawabshah should be directed to lodge an FIR against the respondents. She stated that respondents should be directed not to harass her.

The court had earlier sent the woman to Darul Aman on the request of her counsel Ghulamullah Chang, who claimed that her life was in danger and her FIR should also be lodged. He said that her parents had lodged a case against her and a man whom she wanted to marry.