Obdurate father gives his puerile daughter in Vanni*.

Obdurate father gives his puerile daughter in Vanni*.
(* Vanni is a deeply rooted evil tradition in which girls are tied up in wedlock to settle family enmities.)
Mother reaches Police Station to get help, redeem her innocent little girl.
Written by: Jawad Mazhar (Rays of Development Organization Fact Finding Team (RFFT))

Mianwali, Pakistan (RFFT) Aug 14th: Fateh Muhammad, a murderer and a stone hearted father gave away his naïve daughter Fakhera Bibi 10, in marriage to the deceased Aalam Khan’s son Shaffi-Ullah 30, in order to save himself and settle down his personal enmity here at Dera Ghulam Muhammad, Mianwali an unsophisticated backward area of the Punjab province of Pakistan on August 2nd, 2008. On the clamors of the helpless mother Maher Khatoon, Police Station Paie Khaiyl registered a case, arrested and sent six men to the jail including cruel father of the girl Fateh Muhammad, bridegroom Shaffi-Ullah, cleric Mufti Maulana Sultan Ahmed who solemnized the matrimonial ceremony and witnesses of the wedding Mr. Ghulam, Mr. Rehmat-Ullah and Mr. Aziz-Ullah alias Mahiya, under articles 310/109-A and 34 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Civil Judge Mianwali Raffaqat Ali Qammar handed over the small girl to the mother Maher Khatoon to whom her (Victim girl Fakhera Bibi’s) father had divorced 9 years back. RFFT has learnt through well placed local sources.


It is pertinent to mention here that Fateh Muhammad murdered his real brother Aalam Khan 14 (fourteen) years ago at Dera Rajukhaiylaanwalla, Mianwali. Since then a case had been registered against him at Police Station Mouch under article 302 of PPC. It is important to mention that Fateh Muhammad was a fugitive in that case and police had been looking for him. Moreover he had also divorced his wife and girl’s mother Maher Khatoon. After the divorce the couple parted their ways and innocent little girl Fakhera Bibi and her little brother Dilawar Khan were residing with their mother Maher Khatoon.

On August 2nd of this year Fateh Muhammad put up his case in front of a jury of the local elders. Against the Pakistani law, panel of the local elders gave their decision that Fateh Muhammad should give his child girl Fakhera Bibi 10, to Shaffi-Ullah 30 to tie a knot, in order to end the longstanding enmity. Shaffi-Ullah is the plaintiff and son of the murdered Aalam Khan.

Due to the courage of the mother Maher Khatoon her little daughter Fakhera Bibi is saved from this heinous tradition of ‘Vanni’.

Ferhan Mazher, Chairman of ‘Rays of Development Organization’ (ROD) said that all women should be bold and courageous like mother of little Fakhera Bibi. He said that in our society women and girls are considered as chattel, which is inhuman attitude. He went on saying that Maher Khatoon’s courage saved the life of her daughter.

Mazher added that ROD is doing its best to impart the message of equality of women. He maintained that ROD is using Street Theater as an effective tool to disseminate the message that all women should be given their basic rights without any sort of discrimination on the grounds of sex. He also condemned this atrocious incident and admired the boldness of Fakhera Bibi’s mother and police for their prompt action in this regard. He went on saying that together we can make a difference and together we will make it.