ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: Activists, locals and Imams of different mosques staged a demonstration against an imam of a Capital mosque for throwing out his five-month pregnant wife from his house on Wednesday.

The protest was staged outside Jamia Masjid Ashrafia, F-8 Markaz against imamo fthe mosque, Maulvi Sadiq. The participants chanted slogans against Maulvi Sadiq for his inhuman attitude.

The woman has reportedly sought refuge at the Progressive Women Association (PWA) shelter home and appealed to the government for justice.

People at the mosque told Dawn that Maulvi Sadiq was absconding and nothing was known about his whereabouts. But the participants claimed that the accused was reportedly hiding inside the mosque’s Madrassah.

The PWA president, Shahnaz Bukhari, said the woman, who already had seven children, got married to the maulvi some eight months ago after being assured by him of support and shelter for her children in his Madrassah.

Ms Bukhari said the woman was pregnant but her husband had allegedly developed illicit relations with a housemaid. “When the victim asked her husband to desist from such relations, she (victim) was kicked out.” She said the victim had gone to the Margalla police but the police refused to take any action against Maulvi Sadiq terming it a domestic issue.

Imams of different mosques of F-8 sector, including Maulana Bashir, Maulana Saeedullah and Maulana Habibur Rehman termed Maulvi Sadiq’s action unIslamic.