17-Year-Old Girl Claims She Left Home to Avoid Forced Marriage; Legal Age of Marriage Also Comes Under Focus

Nasirabad/Badin (Bureau Report) — Seventeen-year-old Sughba, daughter of Amjad and a resident of Mansehra district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has claimed that she came into contact with Badin resident and student Muhammad Ramzan Junejo over the phone approximately a year ago. Their acquaintance gradually developed into friendship and later love, after which the two decided to marry with mutual consent.

Speaking to the media at the Nasirabad Press Club, Sughba claimed that her family wanted to marry her against her will to an older man. To escape the situation, she said she left home and reached Badin after a two-day journey, where the couple solemnized their Nikah in a local court.

During the press conference, the newlywed couple expressed fears for their lives and appealed to the Government of Sindh and law-enforcement agencies to provide them protection and respect their decision.

The legal aspects of the matter have also come under discussion. Under the law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the minimum age for a girl’s marriage is 16, meaning that 17-year-old Sughba is reportedly above the legal age limit there. However, under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act applicable in Sindh, the minimum legal age for marriage for both girls and boys is 18, and marriage involving individuals under 18 is considered a criminal offence within Sindh.

So far, no official position has been issued by the local administration or relevant authorities. The legal status of the Nikah and other aspects of the case can only be determined after investigations by the relevant institutions and any subsequent legal proceedings.