The district courts here received an average of 150 cases of couples hoping to solemnise marriage at courts each month.
According to court data, as many as 903 couples had applied for permission to marry at the courts here during last the six months. It was observed that most of the couples who filed these petitions were between 19 and 24 years of age. Of the 903 couples, 668 had moved for protection through petitions at the district courts. They reported torture and illegal confinement by their parents and in-laws, for marrying against their will.
Most of the petitions for protection were filed by women.
In some cases, the parents had registered criminal cases alleging that their daughters were kidnapped.
However, when most of these allegedly kidnapped women were ‘rescued’ by the police, they stated that they had left their homes of their free will and had married for love.
In most cases, when these ‘abductees’ recorded their statements before the court, they maintained that they did not want to live with their parents.
One such couple, Naseer Ahmad and Amina Nadeem, told a sessions court last week that they loved each other. They said they had asked their parents for permission to marry each other but they had refused.
Then they opted for a court marriage.
“We left our homes three months ago and married after seeking permission from the court. However our parents have been threatening us with dire consequences. We have appealed for protection so we can lead a peaceful married life,” they said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2013.