“My late husband’s brother raped me and now claims that I had married him,” a woman- mother of four- told media persons on Monday.
Saima Bibi* said that she had complained to the police but they had sided with her in-laws.
Saima Bibi, a resident of Khanqah Sharif, Basti Bahaar Borana near Bahawalpur, said that she had been married to Muhammad Akhtar and had had four children with him. Her in-laws did not approve of their marriage. She said that Akhtar had died four years ago. Saima Bibi said that her brother-in-law Hafiz Zahoor Ahmed had asked her to marry him but she had refused. “My in-laws then refused to give me my share in the property, business and cattle and would often harass me,” she said.
“On June 4, Zahoor came armed to my room at 2am and threatened to shoot me if I shouted,” Saima Bibi said, “Then he raped me.” She said that she then went to her father-in-law but he said that he did not believe her.
She said that she went with her brother Aslam to file a complaint at the Samma Satta police station. The police she said had registered a case on court orders but they struck a deal with her in-laws and did not arrest anyone.
“Now my in-laws claim that I had married Zahoor,” she said, “Zahoor, has paid a nikah khawan, Maulvi Azam, Rs200,000 to say that he had registered my nikah with Zahoor.”
She said that she had not married Zahoor and was a widow. Saima Bibi’s family too told the media that she had not married Zahoor. They said that the investigation officer had advised Zahoor to make that claim.
Saima Bibi said that Zahoor wanted to usurp her children’s right to inheritance.
She appealed to the inspector general, the chief minister and the chief justice to take notice of her ordeal and provide her justice.
*Names have been changed to protect identity
Published in The Express Tribune, August 27th, 2013.