Adultery Ruling Puts Girl, 2, in Betrothal
Chicago
Tribune, February 22, 2005
Items compiled from Tribune news services
MULTAN, PAKISTAN�A tribal council
has ordered the betrothal of a 2-year-old girl to a man 40 years older to
punish her uncle for an alleged affair with the man�s wife, police said
Monday.
The council decreed the girl must marry Mohammed Altaf,
42, her uncle�s cousin, when she turns 18, police said.
Altaf, a farmer, divorced his 32-year-old wife over her
alleged affair with his 20-year-old cousin, Mohammed Akmal.
Altaf asked tribal elders in the village of Kacha Chohan,
about 215 miles west of Multan, to convene a panchayat, or council, on Feb.
15. The betrothal and a $3,800 fine payable to Altaf were ordered as
punishment.
Village councils in conservative rural regions of
Pakistan traditionally rule on local disputes including those involving a
family�s �honor� besmirched by allegations of improper sexual behavior.
The councils can dictate harsh�and sometimes illegal�punishments.
[Home] [Pakistan] [World]
