SARGODHA: Additional District and Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Muhammad Aslam on Wednesday dismissed the plea of a 70-year-old man for registration of a criminal case against his young wife, who, according to him allegedly disappeared with jewellery and cash the day after their wedding, and asked him to approach family court.

Reports said 70-year-old Muhammad Ijaz, a resident of Chak 80 SB, filed a complaint stating that he married 35-year-old Nazia Bibi on March 8 last year.

However, he alleged that she fled the next day with jewellery, cash, and valuables.

He further claimed that Nazia was part of a gang involved in fraudulent marriages, where women would marry elderly men, drug them on the wedding night, and disappear with their belongings.

Asks him to move family court

On Ijaz’s request, the judge ordered Bhagtanwala police to produce Nazia Bibi in court. During the hearing, Nazia denied the allegations and stated that Ijaz had misrepresented himself as a bachelor by showing a youthful picture of himself.

She claimed that upon discovering the truth on their wedding night, she still accepted him as her husband and lived with him for over two months.

However, she later found out that Ijaz, who was old enough to be her grandfather, had been married four times before. She accused him of mistreating his previous wives and claimed that he treated her the same way.

Due to his behaviour, she decided to leave him. Despite everything, she expressed her willingness to reconcile for the sake of her parents’ honour.

Following her statement, the court dismissed Ijaz’s plea and asked him to move to family court.

ADJOURNED: An Anti-Terrorism Court has adjourned the hearing for two days to indict the accused involved in the case registered in the Kalabagh religious tension incident in which two people were killed and several others were seriously injured and summoned the jail authorities and police along with the record.

Reports said Abbas and Muhammad Ali were killed and several others were injured during religious tension in Kalabagh area of Sargodha region last year when a procession gathered outside the Loharanwali mosque in the market and chanted anti-Sikh slogans.

As a result, the police registered a case against more than 2,500 people, including 100 nominees of two schools of thought, under sections 302, 324, 353, 295, 295A. 440, 106 of Pakistan Penal Code, 7-ATA and arrested dozens of people.

Kalabagh (Mianwali) police presented the challan of the case in the court, on which judge Sheikh Muhammad Naeem found the accused involved in the case.

The hearing to indict more than 100 suspects has been adjourned for two days, and the jail authorities and police have been summoned along with the records on next hearing.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2025