CHITRAL: The local police have closed the inquiry into the marriage of an alleged underage girl with an old man from Balochistan.

The police had initiated the probe under section 157 of CrPC on Feb 16 on the complaint of a civil society organisation.

In a letter to the Provincial Commission on the Status of Women on March 5, the Lower Chitral district police officer had stated that on receiving the complaint from Javed Iqbal, the president of Dawat-o-Azimat Chitral on Feb 16 an inquiry was started, but the girl’s father could not be traced as both his rented house in Jughoor and permanent abode in Drosh were found locked.

The letter said Ayazur Rahman, the girl’s father, on his return from Peshawar the other day, appeared before the police and produced the national identity card of the girl, which showed that her date of birth was Feb 8, 2003. It added that the girl’s father had told the police that his daughter had given her consent to the marriage.

It said that fresh CNIC of the girl had been issued on Feb 15, 2021. According to the letter, the marriage of the girl had been solemnised in Peshawar Cantonment with her own sweet will.

It stated that Nadra had verified and found to be correct the CNIC and family registration certificate of the girl, which showed that the girl had attained the age of 18 years when she was married.

However, it is pertinent to mention here that as per the record of the government girls high school, Jughoor Chitral, where the girl is currently enrolled, the date of her birth is recorded as Sept 30, 2006.

The DPO Lower Chitral could not be contacted on phone, while the Chitral city police station SHO Sajjad Hussain confirmed the closure of the inquiry following the production of the CNIC of the girl. He said according to the CNIC, it was not a case of child marriage.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2021