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Man accused of selling 5 daughters to settle gambling debt

* Wife, daughters, neighbours and sons-in-law corroborate allegations

By Waqar Gillani

LAHORE: A woman, Bashiran, has asked a court in Depalpur to protect her 13-year old daughter and herself from her husband, Allah Ditta, who they say wants to sell Sakina off in marriage for less than Rs 100,000 to his cousin, Akhtar.

Bashiran and Sakina, from Chak GD 20, have taken refuge with Bashiran’s daughter Ishram and son-in-law Mumtaz in Phularwan Kamboh, Depalpur. Bashiran and Sakina moved the court there on June 26. Bashiran has filed for a divorce in a family court and Sakina has lodged a private complaint in the court of Depalpur Special Judicial Magistrate Amer Karim Khan. Advocates SA Hussain Bukhari and Chaudhry H Ahmad are pursuing the cases. A fact-finding team of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Lahore, and this reporter also went to Chak GD 20.

According to Bashiran’s application, she has been married to Allah Ditta for about 30 years. The couple had six daughters and three sons; one of their daughters, Kausar is dead. Bashiran said that Kausar died two-and-a-half-months after she was sold in marriage to Akhtar. Three daughters, Ishram, Allah Mafi and Shahida, are married. Bashiran claimed her husband is a drug addict and a gambler. She said that he has been selling their daughters to elderly men over the last thirteen years in order to settle gambling debts.

Bashiran said she protested when Allah Ditta tried to sell their fifth daughter, 13-year-old Sakina. She said she feared that he would sell their last daughter, Maskeena, who is seven years old. She said she had already demanded a divorce but he refused.

According to Sakina’s private complaint lodged on June 26, her father Allah Ditta is an addict and gambler. About 15 to 20 days before she lodged the complaint, Sakina said that she and her mother left their home and went to Ishram and Mumtaz’s house so that Allah Ditta could not sell her off to Akhtar.

The next day, according to Sakina, Allah Ditta arrived at Ishram’s house with armed men and tried to take Sakina back by force. Sakina has moved the court for shelter and that her father and his accomplices be given capital punishment.

Bashiran and Sakina said that Allah Ditta and Akhtar have been threatening them. They said that Akhtar is the same person Allah Ditta previously sold his (now dead daughter) Kausar to.

Bashiran said that 13 years ago Allah Ditta sold their eldest daughter Ishram when she was 11 to Mumtaz for Rs 80,000. He was in his forties then.

Mumtaz said that he had to wait at least four years before the couple could consummate the marriage.

According to Bashiran, Allah Ditta sold their daughter Shahida thrice to different men. Shahida is now married to a man named Mubarik from Faisalabad. Mubarik said he arranged the marriage through a woman who he paid Rs 80,000. “Allah Ditta came to me and said he was ready to arrange the marriage in a day if I paid him the money immediately,” said Mubarik. He said he did not know that Shahida had been married before and had had a child.

Bashiran said in her application that Shahida is in Allah Ditta’s custody at Akhtar’s house in Chak GD 20. She said that Allah Ditta forced Shahida to leave her husband Mubarik and is threatening to give Shahida in exchange for Sakina to Akhtar. She said that Allah Ditta is demanding Mubarik pay him Rs 500,000 if he wants his wife back.

Advocate Bukhari told the HRCP’s fact-finding team that according to his investigations, Allah Ditta had a notorious reputation in the village. “Allah Ditta used to gamble,” claimed a man named Jafar Ali who lives in Chak GD 20.

Advocate Bukhari said he may lodge a First Information Report under the Hudood Ordinance against Allah Ditta for forcibly marrying off his under-age daughter. However, Mr Bukhari said that pursing the case was difficult because Allah Ditta lived in Chak GD 20, part of tehsil Okara, and his wife and daughter had moved a court in tehsil Depalpur.

Local police also told the HRCP team that no reports of these happenings had come to their knowledge.

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