This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

Police have halted a wedding between a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl in Pakistan, arresting the Muslim cleric officiating at the ceremony and the children's parents.

A police raid prevented the cleric from going ahead with the ceremony in Karachi, which was attended by 100 guests, said the deputy superintendent of police, Malik Mazhar.

Pakistani law forbids marriage below the age of 18, but some Muslim scholars deem it permissible if the bride and groom have reached puberty.

TV footage showed both children in traditional wedding clothes in the laps of policemen after the raid. The girl, called Nisha, had tears running down her cheeks.

According to a report on Express News TV, the parents said the wedding had been arranged to end an eight-year feud between the two families.

Mazhar said he had heard about similar cases in rural areas but "it is shocking to have this right in the centre of the city".

The parents would be brought before a court tomorrow, he said.

A Pakistan human rights commission official, Hina Gillani, said the maximum possible punishment for the parents was one month in jail and a fine equivalent to about £6.