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theweaselkingPakistani man is punished for adultery by being forced to marry his neice to the woman's husband.
His TWO YEAR OLD neice.
None of the parties to the dispute could be reached for comment Monday. Their Mazari tribal village has no telephone service.
Rashid Rahman, a lawyer and Multan-based co-ordinator with the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, condemned the village council's decision.
"These types of panchayats are illegal and nobody has the right to take a decision about a child's life," he said. "This country has its legal system and all decisions should be taken under it."
He said that the betrothal of a minor did not break the law - but that forcing a woman to marry against her will carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence. Underage marriage, also illegal, is only punishable by a fine.
Village councils in conservative rural parts of Pakistan traditionally rule on local disputes, such as when a family's "honour" is purportedly besmirched by allegations of love affairs. The councils can dictate harsh - and sometimes illegal - punishments.
In 2002, another village council near Multan ordered a woman to be gang-raped as punishment for her brother's sexual relations with another woman.
A court later convicted six men who perpetrated the rape and sentenced them to death. They are appealing their sentences.
His TWO YEAR OLD neice.
None of the parties to the dispute could be reached for comment Monday. Their Mazari tribal village has no telephone service.
Rashid Rahman, a lawyer and Multan-based co-ordinator with the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, condemned the village council's decision.
"These types of panchayats are illegal and nobody has the right to take a decision about a child's life," he said. "This country has its legal system and all decisions should be taken under it."
He said that the betrothal of a minor did not break the law - but that forcing a woman to marry against her will carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence. Underage marriage, also illegal, is only punishable by a fine.
Village councils in conservative rural parts of Pakistan traditionally rule on local disputes, such as when a family's "honour" is purportedly besmirched by allegations of love affairs. The councils can dictate harsh - and sometimes illegal - punishments.
In 2002, another village council near Multan ordered a woman to be gang-raped as punishment for her brother's sexual relations with another woman.
A court later convicted six men who perpetrated the rape and sentenced them to death. They are appealing their sentences.