Man beaten for ‘not disclosing children from earlier marriage’

LAHORE: A woman and her son beat her 60-year-old husband at district and sessions court for not disclosing the fact that he had seven children from his first wife. Petitioner Muhammad Saleem had sought a case against his second wife and her children for allegedly stealing cash and valuables from his house. On Friday, Saleem appeared for the hearing where his second wife, Salma Bibi, and their son Muhammad Usman were also present. Bibi and Usman hit Saleem when he asked her not to divorce him during the hearing for the sake of their children. Usman, on the directions of his mother, kicked her father and slapped him, asking why he had hidden the fact that he had seven children from his first wife. Talking to The Express Tribune, Saleem said his first wife passed away 20 years ago and later, he had married Salma. He said he had never hidden his seven children from her. Bibi claimed that he had not told her about his children. She said her husband had told her that he did not have children from his earlier marriage. According to petition Saleem had filed, Salma and Usman robbed him of Rs300,000 and valuables at gun point. The judge had sought comments from Iqbal Town police and the police had told the court that it was a family dispute involving two marriages, and less likely to be a crime. The judge then dismissed the petition the courts could not intervene. Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2014.