April 20, 2026
Hafiz Ullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
A young couple who married for love has appealed to the government for protection after alleging they were subjected to unlawful detention, physical assault, and extreme pressure by the Rawalpindi police to end their marriage.
Twenty three-year-old Muhammad Usman and 20-year-old Maimoona had contracted a court marriage six months ago. According to Usman, they had performed this court marriage secretly and without the knowledge of their families. When the families found out a few months later, Usman’s father in particular expressed strong resentment over the union.
Usman said that the bride’s family had been in agreement, but despite a formal and public rukhsati (departure) on March 29, the situation worsened when a case of theft was registered against the couple with his father as the complainant. The case lodged at Rawalpindi’s Waris Khan Police Station, said that approximately 2 million rupees worth of gold and cash had been stolen.
Speaking to Voicepk on the phone, the couple denied all robbery allegations, claiming the case is a fabrication intended to separate them.
Usman alleged that during an eight-day physical remand, he was subjected to violence by his father and private individuals in a specific room inside the police station with the consent of police officials. He further claimed that his father and his father’s friends repeatedly pressured him to divorce his wife, threatening that if he did not, both of them would be kept behind bars in the robbery case.
The couple stated that they were eventually sent to jail and are currently out on bail. They further alleged that the police and the groom’s father took approximately 300,000 rupees in cash and gold worth 200,000 rupees from their home, which is now being falsely presented as “recovered” stolen property. Speaking to Voicepk, the bride, Maimoona, also claimed that she was detained until 2 AM without the presence of female officers.
However, Sub-Inspector Iftikhar denied these allegations when contacted by Voicepk. He maintained that Usman and his younger brother were nominated in the case for involvement in a robbery at their father’s house. The officer claimed that the money and gold were legally recovered from the couple’s residence during a police raid conducted in the presence of the arrested couple.
Contact numbers for the boy’s father were requested from the police and the couple, but they were not provided by the time this report was filed.
The said couple has now requested the government for security, stating that despite telling their story to the judge, they are receiving death threats and fear for their lives.