Adulterer punished with betrothal of infant niece

A PAKISTANI village council has punished a 20-year-old man for adultery by ordering the betrothal of his two-year-old niece to the husband of the woman with whom he had the alleged affair.

Tribal elders also ordered Mohammed Akmal to pay a 2,900 fine to the woman’s husband, who has since divorced his wife.

Police said that the council in the Punjab village of Kacha Chohan decreed that the two-year-old girl would be married to Mohammed Altaf when she reached 18.

Mr Altaf, a 42-year old farmer, divorced his 32-year old wife over her alleged love affair with Mr Akmal, and then asked elders to convene the panchayat, or council, to arbitrate.

Mr Akmal, a bachelor and also a farmer, is Mr Altaf’s cousin and has no children. Local police chief Maqsoodul Hassan said officers have started an investigation, but had made no arrests because no one had filed a complaint.

Rashid Rahman, a lawyer and Multan-based coordinator with the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, condemned the village council’s decision.

“These types of panchayats are illegal and nobody has the right to take a decision about a child’s life,” he said.

“This country has its legal system and all decisions should be taken under it.”