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Islamabad: On the heels of their crusade against girls going to schools, the Taliban have now issued new dictum in the areas under their sway asking parents of the grown up daughters to marry them to militants or ‘face dire consequences’. This new force-marriage campaign is being run in most of the areas in the Pakistan's troubled NWFP through regular announcements made in mosques to congregations. Such instances have come to light recently through some of the affected women daring to go to authorities for justice rather than meekly surrender to the militants dictates. Salma, who teaches in a primary school in Peshawar, told the influential ‘Dawn’ newspaper that Taliban have told families to declare in mosques if they have unmarried girls so that their hand could be given in marriage, most probably to militants. If they did not do so, the girls would be forcibly married off; the newspaper quoted the 30-year-old widow as saying. She also said the Taliban in the Swat valley of NWFP have threatened women with dire punishment, if they are found outside their homes without identity cards and a male relative accompanying them. Couples should also carry 'Nikah Nama' or marriage certificates with them when they venture out of home or they will be in trouble, she said. "I have heard that Taliban have announced that if a girl above the age of seven is found outside her house, she would be slaughtered," Salma said. Once an avid listener of Pakistani Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah's FM radio station, Salma doesn't tune in to the channel any more. "Usually there is only dreadful news on the radio, so I stopped listening to it," said Salma, who has three sons. Fazlullah, also known as Mullah Radio for the fiery sermons he broadcasts on his illegal FM station, leads a campaign by Taliban militants to enforce Shariat or Islamic law in Swat. Fazlullah's followers have blown up or torched over 100 girls' schools in Swat and barred women from going to markets. The Taliban's recent decision to completely ban girls' education from January 15 has upset Salma and her colleagues because most of them are the sole bread-winners of their families. "My colleagues were crying when they heard this bad news. Some have aged and handicapped parents while others have lost their male members in the ongoing conflict," she said. "Our principal has said that all female teachers should write down the domestic problems forcing them to work so that they could be forwarded to Taliban, who would be requested to review their policy about women's education," Salma said.

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Forced marriages and honor killings are proud norms in Pakiland. I won't blame pious Talibani believers here, they have only now declared it officially what is an old practice.

Posted
Forced marriages and honor killings are proud norms in Pakiland. I won't blame pious Talibani believers here, they have only now declared it officially what is an old practice.
may be the remote carry some wrong info. i thought the parents freely agree with the decision of their daughters getting married to the so called great Fighters of their country.. o i meant Reli-Junk
Posted
may be the remote carry some wrong info. i thought the parents freely agree with the decision of their daughters getting married to the so called great Fighters of their country.. o i meant Reli-Junk
In fact most of the Pakistanis know about tribes of Pashtun. Pashtuns have a strong sense of identity with regards to their tribes to which they belong. There are many tribes like Afridi, Shinwari, Orakzai, Yusufzai,Wazir, Mehsud etc. These tribal folks practice Islam only till killing and fighting, establishing Shariah, subjugating women. But when it comes to marraige, their women have no say. For example, if an Afridi tribe woman marries with an Orakzai tribe man without consent of Jirga(Tribal group), then Afridi tribal men will try to kill that woman and man. They harbor this tribal revenge till years. Honor killings are norm and average Pakistanis in Peshawar know this. There is a famous saying --- "A Pashtun is at peace when he is at war". Go figure!
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