Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a father sold his two young daughters so that he could marry a second wife. The police of two different stations are after the first wife, who is hiding with her children, in order to arrest her and hand over the two minors to her husband. The male family members of the first wife have tried several times to lodge a criminal case against the husband but the police refuse to assist them. The perpetrator had already murdered four persons for not handing over a girl to be his wife. He terrorized the witnesses in the case of these murders and they left the village. The case is therefore pending before the court without trial and the judge has also shown himself incapable of providing protection to the witnesses.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Ms. Hafeeza, 31, was married to Muhammad Panah Chandio, in an old custom of ‘Watta Satta’ (exchange of sisters from groom and bride families), sometime in the year 2000. But the father of the groom, Chandio, refused to marry her daughter with the brother of the bride. This created a rift between the families. Ms. Hafeeza has two daughters and two sons. The daughters are aged three and four years. After the birth of the fourth child the husband, Panah Chandio, started bargaining the two daughters in exchange for a second wife. He did this with Hazoor Magsi, 55, as he wanted to marry his daughter. As he was continuously beating her Hafeeza ran away with her children from the house of her husband and took shelter at her father’s house in Shahdad Kot, 150 kilometers away. She has been hiding in different places for one and a half years.
In her absence Chandio married another woman and promised that girl’s father, Mr. Magsi, thathe would hand over the two minor daughters and the amount of Rupees 250,000.00 (USD 2500). After some time, Magsi started demanding the two girls. He (Chandio) took the help from Madaji police station, Garhi Yasin and contacted the Wara police station, Wara, Qamber, Shahdad kot to pressurize Hafeeza to hand over the two minors.
On January 28, 2013, Chandio came with armed persons including plain clothed policemen and attacked the house of Hafeeza’s father to take away the minors. Fortunately she was not at her father’s home at that time and was hiding at his brother’s house which saved the minors from abduction. The next day the family members went to the Wara police station, Shahdad Kot to file a police report. However, Inspector Badal Panhwar, the Station House Officer (SHO), refused to lodge the First Information Report (FIR). It was told by the staff of the Wara Police Station that no case would be filed against the perpetrator as Inspector Siyal, the SHO of Madiji police station, Garhi Yasin, is good friend of the perpetrator so he has requested them not to file the case and help the perpetrator.
Chandio, the perpetrator is a notorious criminal of the interior Sindh province and carries out crimes with the patronage of the police. Earlier he murdered four persons of a family for not agreeing to give him a daughter in marriage. In 2005, he murdered the father, mother and two brothers of the girl. He remained in the prison for some time and was released on bail as his henchmen and police terrorized the witnesses to leave the village otherwise they or their family members would face the same fate.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
In the rural areas of the Sindh province there are still the centuries old feudal and tribal traditions. The women are treated as chattels and used in exchange for the settling of old feuds or married to old men. The women in the feudal tribal system do not have the right to choose their own husbands. In many cases to retain the family property women are married with the use of the holy books. The most dangerous tradition is that of the Jirga system, a tribal court where the elders of the tribes decide the fate of the people. The women, particularly minor girls are sacrificed for the honour of the tribe. The governments of the provinces and federation have failed to ban the Jirga.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write the following authorities calling for their urgent attention to the case of the selling of two girls by their father in order to satisfy his desires. Please urge them to conduct an investigation into the conduct of the police who have sided with the perpetrator and ruined the rule of law. Protection must be provided for the victim and her children. The perpetrator and the police officers must be prosecuted and brought before the law.
The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteurs on the Question of Violence against Women and Child Rights calling for their intervention into this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
PAKISTAN: A father sells two minor daughters for a second marriage and the police side with the perpetrator
Name of victim:
1.Hafeeza wife of Muhammad Panah Chandio, resident of Goth Bagijo, Taluqa, Wara, district Qamber Shahdad Kot, Sindh province
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1.Muhammad Panah Chandio son of Muhammad Saleh, resident of Majija, Garhi Yasin, district Shikarpur, Sindh province
2.Inspector Siyal, station house officer (SHO), Madiji police station, Garhi Yasin, District Shikarpur, Sindh province
3.Inspector Badal Panhwar, station house officer, Warara police station, Taluqa, Wara, district Qamber Shahdad Kot, Sindh province
Date of incident: January 28, 2013
Place of incident: Madiji police station, Garhi Yasin, District Shikarpur, Sindh province
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding selling of two minor daughters and violence against the mother of the daughters with the help of local police by a notorious criminal.
I have received information that Ms. Hafeeza, 31, was married to Muhammad Panah Chandio, in an old custom of ‘Watta Satta’ (exchange of sisters from groom and bride families), sometime in the year 2000. But the father of the groom, Chandio, refused to marry her daughter with the brother of the bride. This created a rift between the families. Ms. Hafeeza has two daughters and two sons. The daughters are aged three and four years. After the birth of the fourth child the husband, Panah Chandio, started bargaining the two daughters in exchange for a second wife. He did this with Hazoor Magsi, 55, as he wanted to marry his daughter. As he was continuously beating her Hafeeza ran away with her children from the house of her husband and took shelter at her father’s house in Shahdad Kot, 150 kilometers away. She has been hiding in different places for one and a half years.
In her absence Chandio married another woman and promised that girl’s father, Mr. Magsi, thathe would hand over the two minor daughters and the amount of Rupees 250,000.00 (USD 2500). After some time, Magsi started demanding the two girls. He (Chandio) took the help from Madaji police station, Garhi Yasin and contacted the Wara police station, Wara, Qamber, Shahdad kot to pressurize Hafeeza to hand over the two minors.
It is shocking to learn that on January 28, 2013, Chandio came with armed persons including plain clothed policemen and attacked the house of Hafeeza’s father to take away the minors. Fortunately she was not at her father’s home at that time and was hiding at his brother’s house which saved the minors from abduction. The next day the family members went to the Wara police station, Shahdad Kot to file a police report. However, Inspector Badal Panhwar, the Station House Officer (SHO), refused to lodge the First Information Report (FIR). It was told by the staff of the Wara Police Station that no case would be filed against the perpetrator as Inspector Siyal, the SHO of Madiji police station, Garhi Yasin, is good friend of the perpetrator so he has requested them not to file the case and help the perpetrator.
I am reliably informed that Chandio, the perpetrator is a notorious criminal of the interior Sindh province and carries out crimes with the patronage of the police. Earlier he murdered four persons of a family for not agreeing to give him a daughter in marriage. In 2005, he murdered the father, mother and two brothers of the girl. He remained in the prison for some time and was released on bail as his henchmen and police terrorized the witnesses to leave the village otherwise they or their family members would face the same fate.
Therefore I urge you to conduct an investigation into the conduct of the police who have sided with the perpetrator and abused the rule of law. Protection must be provided for the victim and her children. The perpetrator and the police officers must be prosecuted and brought before the law.
I trust you will take immediate and urgent action in this matter.
Yours sincerely,
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Raja Pervez Ashraf
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk or pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk
2. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
E-mail: pppsindh@yahoo.com
3. Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
4. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
E-mail: info@sindhhighcourt.gov.pk
5. Minister for Human Rights
Government of Sindh
Pakistan secretariat, Barrack 92,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9207044
Tel: +92 21 9207043
E-mail: lukshmil@yahoo.com
6. Inspector General of Police
Police Head office, I. I. Chundrigar Road
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9212051
E-mail: ppo.sindh@sindhpolice.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
