KASUR: A would-be groom, along with around hundred guests, had to leave a wedding hall without the Nikah ceremony on Sunday after they failed to establish before its administration that the girl to become bride was not a minor.

City police got a tip-off that a minor girl was going to be married to a man thrice her age to settle a loan at a wedding hall on Khara Road, sources said.

They said the police contacted the wedding hall administration by phone, asking about the alleged underage marriage.

Following the police call, the hall administration asked the guests about the age of the bride, also seeking some documentary evidence to prove she was not a minor.

Wedding hall owner Muhammad Ahmed told Dawn that when the family failed to produce any evidence of girl’s age they were asked to vacate the venue without performing Nikah ceremony. However, the guests were allowed to have food, he added.

SHO Malik Tariq said by the time police reached the venue, the guests had left the wedding hall.

He said the would-be groom was a resident of Orara village in the limits of Raja Jang police station, adding that he had informed the police concerned about the incident.

According to sources, Mukhtar Ahmed of Basti Kambovan owed a hefty amount to Subah Sadiq which he failed to return in time.

As a compensation for the monetary loss, the landlord demanded hand of Mukhtar’s minor daughter ‘N’, a Class VII student. The father, having no other means to return the loan, accepted the demand.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2015

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