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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Pakistan 'same-sex' couple jailed | Pakistan 'same-sex' couple jailed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A Pakistani court has remanded a couple in custody after ruling that the husband was actually a woman and their same-sex marriage was against Islam. | A Pakistani court has remanded a couple in custody after ruling that the husband was actually a woman and their same-sex marriage was against Islam. |
| The case is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the country. | The case is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the country. |
| The judge said the pair had lied over the husband's gender, and a sex change operation the husband had had to become a man had not been done properly. | |
| The couple told the court that they had got married so that the wife could avoid an arranged marriage. | The couple told the court that they had got married so that the wife could avoid an arranged marriage. |
| 'Mistake overlooked' | 'Mistake overlooked' |
| Shumail Raj, 31, had sex-change surgery to become a man and then married his cousin - who was aware of the condition but says she needed his help to avoid being forced into wedlock with someone else. | Shumail Raj, 31, had sex-change surgery to become a man and then married his cousin - who was aware of the condition but says she needed his help to avoid being forced into wedlock with someone else. |
| The bride's father wants to annul his daughter's wedding on the grounds that it is against Islam for two women to marry. | The bride's father wants to annul his daughter's wedding on the grounds that it is against Islam for two women to marry. |
| I decided to help her out when she came to me with the problem... she just needs protection Shumail Raj | I decided to help her out when she came to me with the problem... she just needs protection Shumail Raj |
| But the couple argue that they married to protect the bride from being sold into marriage to pay off her uncle's gambling debts. | But the couple argue that they married to protect the bride from being sold into marriage to pay off her uncle's gambling debts. |
| The two were arrested last week after the bride's family complained about the gender of her husband. | The two were arrested last week after the bride's family complained about the gender of her husband. |
| The High Court in the eastern city of Lahore ruled that Mr Raj had earlier lied to the court by saying he was a man. | The High Court in the eastern city of Lahore ruled that Mr Raj had earlier lied to the court by saying he was a man. |
| "Neither Islam nor our law allows marriages of the same sex. This mistake cannot simply be overlooked," Lahore High Court judge Khawaja Sharif told the couple. | "Neither Islam nor our law allows marriages of the same sex. This mistake cannot simply be overlooked," Lahore High Court judge Khawaja Sharif told the couple. |
| "Why should a case be not registered against you for committing an unnatural offence and telling a lie?" he asked. | "Why should a case be not registered against you for committing an unnatural offence and telling a lie?" he asked. |
| Treatment | Treatment |
| The judge ordered that Mr Raj be sent to jail in Lahore and his wife, Shahzina Tariq, be jailed in her home town of Faisalabad, pending their trial. | The judge ordered that Mr Raj be sent to jail in Lahore and his wife, Shahzina Tariq, be jailed in her home town of Faisalabad, pending their trial. |
| Correspondents say that if convicted of an "unnatural offence" - a term used for homosexuality - they could be sentenced to life in prison. | Correspondents say that if convicted of an "unnatural offence" - a term used for homosexuality - they could be sentenced to life in prison. |
| Shahzina Tariq said they married because they were in love. | Shahzina Tariq said they married because they were in love. |
| "We're not homosexuals. Ours was a love marriage," the 24-year-old woman, clad in a long shawl, told reporters after the verdict. | "We're not homosexuals. Ours was a love marriage," the 24-year-old woman, clad in a long shawl, told reporters after the verdict. |
| "It was the fear of forced marriage which compelled me to convince Shumail for marriage," Dawn newspaper quoted her as saying. | "It was the fear of forced marriage which compelled me to convince Shumail for marriage," Dawn newspaper quoted her as saying. |
| "I was fully aware of Shumail's physical condition." | "I was fully aware of Shumail's physical condition." |
| Mr Raj has undergone surgery twice in Pakistan over the past 16 years to become a man. | Mr Raj has undergone surgery twice in Pakistan over the past 16 years to become a man. |
| But tests carried out by doctors on behalf of the court ruled that he was still a woman, and he himself says that he needs to go abroad for more treatment even though his breasts and uterus have been removed. | But tests carried out by doctors on behalf of the court ruled that he was still a woman, and he himself says that he needs to go abroad for more treatment even though his breasts and uterus have been removed. |