Sold for Rs0.6m, woman seeks action against 'kidnappers'

For over four months I remained in the illegal custody of Chaudhry Anwar without Nikah during which I was subjected to sexual assaults and tortured in the fortress-like house. The woman said after four months she managed to contact Anjuman Dawat-e-Azeemat Chitral, an organization working against marriage of Chitrali women with strangers from other districts. She said with the help of the Anjuman she got freedom from the illegal confinement and reached Chitral. She said on August 1, she approached the court in Chitral and filed an application against her alleged kidnappers and Chaudhry Anwar but so far no action has been initiated against the culprits who are moving freely. She said instead of appearing in the court in pursuance of the summon issued to them, the accused were sending her threats not to pursue the case. The woman said that the judiciary, police and the local administration as well as the civil society should take special interest in her case and ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits so that no one could even dare to spoil the respect and dignity of Chitrali women in future. It may be noted that it is not the first case in which a Chitrali woman has landed in trouble after falling prey to a gang active in selling off Chitrali women to bride seekers from other parts of the country. Every year scores of outsiders come to Chitral and lure women into marrying them. In this a gang of Chitrali agents is involved. Once these  women are taken to the hometowns of their new husbands, they are subjected to inhuman treatments. It is time the government put in place strict measures to tighten the noose around criminals involved in trafficking of women in order to not only save the poor women and their families from such humiliation and embarrassment but also to protect the image of Chitral. There is also a need to create awareness among the people of Chitral.]]>