KASUR, May 9: Khudian police are reluctant to register a case against a landlord, father of four, who allegedly kidnapped and ‘married’ a 10-year-old girl, daughter of a labourer, at Rait Challa village.

Muhammad Sadiq said that her daughter (U) often visited the house of accused Chaudhry Muhammad Sharif, 45, to lift dung. In the third week of November last, Sharif kidnapped the girl from the village and shifted her to an undisclosed location. Later, the family learnt Sharif had detained the girl in Chak 11, Pattoki.

Villagers convened a local council or Punchayat wherein the accused said that he had solemnised nikah with the girl on Nov 27, 2007.

Later, the girl fled from Sharif’s custody and reached her parents. She told her family Sharif had raped her frequently before solemnising nikah with her in Lahore. She said Sufi Muhammad Arif, of Mughalpura in Lahore, recited the nikah.

Her alleged captor Sharif moved the Lahore High Court seeking the girl’s custody. He pleaded in his plea the girl was mature and had married him willingly. The LHC, however, sent the girl to her parents on March 27, 2008. The court confirmed that the victim was about 10 years old at the time of nikah.

Sharif appealed in the Supreme Court against the verdict of the LHC. The apex court too dismissed his plea on April 8, 2008.

During the litigation, Sharif continued pressing the family to send the girl to him as he was her legal husband.

The family says they submitted a petition in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Rao Abdul Jabbar seeking protection from the accused. The judge ordered Khudian police on April 4, 2008, to proceed against the accused.

Police, however, did not register any case. When contacted, SHO Rana Muhammad Aslam said he was transferred to Khudian police station just two days ago. He said he had sent court’s orders to the legal adviser for his comment.

The girls’ family appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Dost Muhammad Khosa to take personal interest in the matter and order police to arrest the accused.