“Next time you fall in love on social media with any girl, be sure about her real identity and try to know her background before getting married,” these words were uttered by Afshana Akhtar from Eidgah Srinagar during a protest here in Press Enclave Srinagar on Thursday.A large number of people mostly women carrying placards assembled in Press Enclave and narrated a ‘strange’ tale.“We run hotel business and are affluent. My son Samiullah Bhat was settled in Thailand. He came in contact with a girl from South Kashmir presently living in Srinagar through facebook. The family of the girl insisted that marriage be solemnized at New Delhi. That time we failed to understand why a family from Kashmir wishes to get their daughter’s marriage solemnized in New Delhi. After the birth of a girl child we came to know that my daughter-in-law was already married to a guy and even divorce had not taken place. Since she had given birth to a baby girl whom we admired all, we compromised and didn’t object,” Afshana Akhatar told reporters amid slogans like ‘we want justice.’
Elaborating further, the mother of Samiullah, Afshana Akhtar said her daughter-in-law whose father is a known poet, actor and literary figure went to Thailand along with her baby. “We were happy that my son, her wife and child are settled in Thailand. Things took ugly turn when a Pakistani citizen Sarfaraz Khan (66) contacted my son and asked him to divorce his wife. Basically, my daughter-in-law had developed relationship with that Pakistani citizen settled in Thailand and on her instruction; she sought divorce from my son. My son obliged but demanded that his little daughter be handed over to him, which they refused. We have no regrets but want our little child be in Kashmir. We can’t trust that Pakistani man who demanded divorce from my son on gun-point. The future of my grand-child (4) Navashti Sami is not secure with him. We have no objection if our grand child will live with her mother’s family in Srinagar but not in Thailand,” Afshana told news agency CNS.“We approached Human Rights Commission and even court but the verdict came against us. We have no grudge with anyone but want our grand-child to settle in Kashmir,” said Ghulam Mohiuddin, the father of Samiullah who appealed police and court to look at the case through the prism of humanity. (CNS)