Pakistan: Karachi police chief warns officers against harassing young couples by asking for 'nikahnama'

Karachi police chief warned officers of strict action if they harass the young couples by asking them to show marriage certificates.

Pakistani couples sit on the lawns surrounding the mausoleum of founder of the nation in Karachi. The tomb of Pakistan's founding father has become the "in place" for lovebirds to meet once or twice a month. It is the only spot in this volatile port city of 12 million people where courting couples can avoid the prying eyes of the police, the mullahs and their families. AFP PHOTO/Asif HASSAN (Photo by ASIF HASSAN / AFP)

New Delhi: In a welcome move for Pakistan’s unmarried couples, the newly appointed police chief in Karachi has asked police officers to strictly refrain from harassing young couples. The police chief of the most populated city of Pakistan, warned police officers of strict action if they harass the young couples by asking them to show marriage certificates or if they humiliate them in public. Additional Inspector General of Police Amir Sheikh called for immediate action against such police officers in a letter written to the deputy inspector generals (DIGs) of the three zones - South Zone, East Zone and West Zone in Karachi. Amir Sheikh wrote in the letter that there is a general complaint that policemen in mobile and motorcycles harass and humiliate couples by asking them to show 'nikahnama' (marriage certificate) to prove their credentials as husband and wife. The letter was posted on the website of The News. He warned in the letter: “You are hereby directed to issue strict instructions to the subordinate staff not to demand 'nikahnama' from any person”. He warned that complaints regarding police officers bullying the couples by asking for proof of marriage should not be heard again, especially from females.