Girl lost in poker game pleads for help
A teenage girl in southern Pakistan, whose late father lost her in a poker game when she was 2 years old, has asked authorities to save her from being handed over to a middle-aged relative.
Rasheeda, 17, said she has filed applications with the police and a local councillor asking them to stop Lal Haider, 45, taking her to his home.
Her mother, Nooran said her husband racked up a debt of 10,000 rupees ($151) to Haider playing cards.
“My husband didn’t have money to pay, and instead he told Lal Haider that he could take Rasheeda when she grows up,” she said.
Despite being paid his money last year, she said Haider still insisted the girl should be given to him because of tribal customs.
While both families live in Hyderabad, 160 kilometers north of the southern city of Karachi, they belong to the same tribe in Baluchistan province.
The girl’s uncle, Dur Mohammad said Haider apparently wanted to marry the girl to his son.
There appears to be some confusion in the case with local politicians and police disagreeing over whether the girl should be handed over.
Khalid Rajput, a local councillor dealing with the case, said the decision that Rasheeda should be handed over was taken by a tribal council.
“We know some tribal elders from Baluchistan came for the meeting in which the girl’s family was told to give her as per their customs,” he said.
But Irfan Bhutto, a police officer in Hyderabad, said Haider had been summoned and Rasheeda would not be handed over without her consent.
“We will ensure the girl does not have to do anything against her will,” he said.
Surprisingly, this is not the only case of its kind. Earlier this month, a Russian man lost his wife playing poker.
Agencies
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