Child marriage: 11-year-old married to 12-year-old - girl’s father had remarried the boy’s sister

FAISALABAD: In Kamalia’s Jinnah Colony, an 11-year-old girl has been married to a 12-year-old boy. The girl’s father had remarried the boy’s sister.

Kamalia police say they are not aware of the incident and that they have not received a complaint. Forty-year-old Muhammad Shabbir told The Express Tribune that his wife had died a few years ago. He said he had proposed for Nabeela Bibi, 22, from Kassowal and her parents had agreed. However, he said, a few days before they were to be married, her parents demanded that he marry his daughter to their 12-year-old son on the same day. Shabbir said as a father of four daughters he needed a mother for his children, and did not want this to affect his marriage and so he agreed. Both the marriages took place two days ago. He said he did not regret having married his daughter at the young age “as the religion allowed it”. He said his daughter was happy at her in-laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2013.