PESHAWAR, July 16: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday disposed of a writ petition of the British High Commission pertaining to a British girl of Pakistan origin, with the assurance of the girl’s father that she would return to UK after her marriage.

The girl Haseena Khan told a division bench comprising Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Abdur Rauf Lughmani that she was satisfied with this arrangement.

The petition was filed by British vice-consul Mark Kattle, after the girl had sent a letter to her teacher Mrs John Law at Laisterdyke High School, Bradford, stating that her parents wanted to arrange her marriage against her will. In the letter she stated that her life would be in danger if she resisted her marriage.

The teacher informed the Foreign and Commonwealth office in UK, which informed the British High Commission in Islamabad.

The petitioner had prayed the court to order production of the girl and to set her at liberty if it was proved that her parents were arranging her marriage against her will.

The NWFP advocate-general, Barrister Jehanzaib Raheem, appeared with Miss Haseena and her father, Sarbuland Khan, and informed the bench that the elders of the family had decided that the couple would settle in UK after their marriage.

He added that the girl told him that she was not giving the statement under coercion or any pressure. “I have also met the girl in isolation and she claimed that there was no pressure on her,” Mr Raheem added.

When the court inquired from the girl whether she was satisfied with this arrangement, she stated that she was now satisfied and was not pressured by her family members in marrying a cousin of her father. “My family has assured me that we will settle in UK after the marriage,” Ms Khan stated.

The petitioner’s counsel, Raja Shafqat Khan Abbasi, informed the court that he had met the girl and informed the petitioner about this development. He added that the petitioner would not press the petition provided that the assurance of the girl’s father about her returning back to UK should be brought on record.

The bench observed that after the statement of the girl and assurance of her father it was clear that she was not in illegal custody. It was observed that the girl had sent a letter to her teacher because of some misapprehensions which were now settled by elders of the family.

The girl claimed that at the time of writing the said letter she was upset as she believed that after her marriage she would be settled here. The family of the girl belong to Toru village of Mardan district.