SHEIKHUPURA (Monitoring Desk) - Police on Monday arrested at least one suspect in connection with a child marriage case where a five-year-old girl was married to a 13-year-old boy in Sheikhupura's Kot Nazir area.
Authorities reported that the suspect was apprehended during a raid, with further operations underway to capture the other suspects involved in the illegal marriage.
It is important to note that in Punjab, it is illegal to marry before the age of 16. Despite this, child marriages remain prevalent in the province.
A police spokesperson stated that a case had been registered by an assistant sub-inspector from Saddar Muridke police station under the Child Marriage Act.
The first information report (FIR) indicated that the children were being forcibly married and that the suspects fled as soon as they saw the police approaching.
According to the FIR, the child's grandfather, identified as Yousaf, admitted that he and his son Muzammil Abbas were forcing the marriage of his grandchild.
The FIR also mentioned that the girl's father, Imran, her grandfather, Amjad, along with Bashir and Akram Suleman alias Chana, were present at the wedding. A suspect named Arshad was responsible for the arrangements, and the nikah was solemnized by a suspect identified as Umar Hayat.
"The suspects violated ‘The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act 2015’ by forcibly marrying the underage children,” the FIR stated.
In 2015, Punjab maintained the legal marriage age at 16 but increased the penalties for violating this law when the province amended the Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 1971 and passed the Punjab Marriage Restraint Act 2015.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has drafted the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2024 to raise the legal marriage age to 18.