



A jirga declared Gulzar Ahmed Shaikh a ‘karo’ for marrying his sister-in-law, Kazbano Shaikh, in Raheem Bux Khoso village. As punishment he was ordered to hand over two girls from his family in marriage, pay a fine of Rs200,000 and leave the village on Wednesday.





Gulzar refused to accept the judgement which is why he was threatened with dire consequences. According to sources, Kazbano’s relatives organised the jirga which was headed by a village elder, Fateh Mohammad Shaikh, and was attended by members of both families.Gulzar married Kazbano, his brother Rasool Bux Shaikh’s widow, six months after Rasool’s death. Kazbano’s family was not happy with this marriage and wanted Gulzar to divorce her immediately, on the grounds that he had ‘forced’ her into marrying him. He refused. While talking to the media, Gulzar insisted that he did not force Kazbano to marry him. “I married her to support her seven children,” he said. “We were living happily but then my father-in-law came and took my wife away. I went to his house to get her but they sent me away.” According to Gulzar, he tried to convince his father-in-law, Abdul Karim Shaikh, that he had not forced Kazbano to marry him but Abdul refused to listen. Instead, he asked Gulzar to pay Rs300,000 and give two girls in exchange for marriage.While talking to The Express Tribune, Gulzar said that after he spoke to the media, the police rescued his wife from her father’s house and took her to court.According to head constable Suhrab Ali, Kazbano was produced in the court of the second civil judge, Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim. He said that in her statement Kazbano did not say anything against anybody but asked the court to let her go with her brothers, Khadim Shaikh and Allah Wadhayo Shaikh. The court allowed her to go with her brothers after seeking required surety.Published in The Express Tribune, July 26, 2012.