A bitter truth the world must never forget

Gul Marjan was a simple, quiet girl from a small village near Kohat. Like any girl, she dreamed only of living with dignity. But her fate did not grant her life , only survival. In 1997, on an ordinary evening, her world collapsed. Her brother was accused of having an illicit relationship with a girl from a rival tribe. The case was taken to the local jirga, the tribal council, where a verdict was passed, not based on law, but on tradition.

The boy committed the mistake, but the girl will pay the price.

The jirga ordered Gul Marjan to be given as Swara, a so-called “peace offering” bride, to the offended family. It was not a marriage, but a punishment. She was only 16 years old, yet her body was handed over like compensation, and her soul sentenced to a life of servitude.

She was married to Zahir Shah, a member of the enemy family. There was no joy in her wedding, no fragrance of prayers , only the stench of revenge. Her new home became a living prison. Her husband’s hands were heavy, his words cruel. Every night, she bore a new form of pain. She wasn’t treated as a wife but as a living price tag , the cost of her brother’s mistake. She wasn’t allowed to cry, to speak, or to live.

Then came a cold December night in 1998. A gunshot. Zahir Shah was found dead. The very next day, the village echoed with a single accusation:“Gul Marjan has murdered her husband!”

She was arrested. Tortured. Forced to confess to a crime she did not commit. She cried out, “I didn’t do it,” but no one heard her. In the eyes of the law, she was guilty , not because of evidence, but because she was Swara. The court sentenced her to life in prison.

Years passed inside iron bars. Time stood still. Her eyes held just one question:“Is my life just a sacrifice?”

Then, after five long years, a new voice rose. Human rights lawyer Noor Alam Khan took her case. He appealed to the Peshawar High Court. In 2003, after a fresh hearing, the court found her innocent. The judges ruled:

She was underage at the time of marriage.Her confession was taken through torture. There was no physical evidence against her.

Gul Marjan was finally free.

But what is freedom after a stolen childhood? Her parents had passed. Her home no longer existed. Her name had become a shadow. Though her body walked out of prison, her soul remained caged , locked in memories of betrayal, silence, and injustice.

In the Qur’an, Allah asks in Surah At-Takwir (81:8-9):

And when the girl (who was) buried alive is asked: for what sin was she killed?

Swara, Vani, and other such customs are nothing but modern forms of that same ancient cruelty , burying girls alive, not in graves, but in forced marriages and abusive homes.

Islam elevated women. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

“Whoever takes care of three daughters, educates them, and treats them with kindness, Paradise becomes obligatory for him.”

And yet, in the name of honor and tradition, we continue to crucify our daughters like Gul Marjan , turning blessings into burdens, lives into punishments.

To every woman who reads this:You are not a mistake. You are not a price to pay. You are not someone else’s honor.You are your own name. Your own soul. Your own right.Do not remain silent. Your voice can save someone else’s life.

Gul Marjan’s story may have reached its end, but perhaps in another village, a new Swara is being written right now. Maybe another girl is being silenced, exchanged, punished.

#Pakistan #India #Women

A bitter truth the world must never forget

Gul Marjan was a simple, quiet girl from a small village near Kohat. Like any girl, she dreamed only of living with dignity. But her fate did not grant her life , only survival. In 1997, on an ordinary evening, her world collapsed. Her brother was accused of having an illicit relationship with a girl from a rival tribe. The case was taken to the local jirga, the tribal council, where a verdict was passed, not based on law, but on tradition.

The boy committed the mistake, but the girl will pay the price.

The jirga ordered Gul Marjan to be given as Swara, a so-called “peace offering” bride, to the offended family. It was not a marriage, but a punishment. She was only 16 years old, yet her body was handed over like compensation, and her soul sentenced to a life of servitude.

She was married to Zahir Shah, a member of the enemy family. There was no joy in her wedding, no fragrance of prayers , only the stench of revenge. Her new home became a living prison. Her husband’s hands were heavy, his words cruel. Every night, she bore a new form of pain. She wasn’t treated as a wife but as a living price tag , the cost of her brother’s mistake. She wasn’t allowed to cry, to speak, or to live.

Then came a cold December night in 1998. A gunshot. Zahir Shah was found dead. The very next day, the village echoed with a single accusation:“Gul Marjan has murdered her husband!”

She was arrested. Tortured. Forced to confess to a crime she did not commit. She cried out, “I didn’t do it,” but no one heard her. In the eyes of the law, she was guilty , not because of evidence, but because she was Swara. The court sentenced her to life in prison.

Years passed inside iron bars. Time stood still. Her eyes held just one question:“Is my life just a sacrifice?”

Then, after five long years, a new voice rose. Human rights lawyer Noor Alam Khan took her case. He appealed to the Peshawar High Court. In 2003, after a fresh hearing, the court found her innocent. The judges ruled:

She was underage at the time of marriage.Her confession was taken through torture. There was no physical evidence against her.

Gul Marjan was finally free.

But what is freedom after a stolen childhood? Her parents had passed. Her home no longer existed. Her name had become a shadow. Though her body walked out of prison, her soul remained caged , locked in memories of betrayal, silence, and injustice.

In the Qur’an, Allah asks in Surah At-Takwir (81:8-9):

And when the girl (who was) buried alive is asked: for what sin was she killed?

Swara, Vani, and other such customs are nothing but modern forms of that same ancient cruelty , burying girls alive, not in graves, but in forced marriages and abusive homes.

Islam elevated women. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

“Whoever takes care of three daughters, educates them, and treats them with kindness, Paradise becomes obligatory for him.”

And yet, in the name of honor and tradition, we continue to crucify our daughters like Gul Marjan , turning blessings into burdens, lives into punishments.

To every woman who reads this:You are not a mistake. You are not a price to pay. You are not someone else’s honor.You are your own name. Your own soul. Your own right.Do not remain silent. Your voice can save someone else’s life.

Gul Marjan’s story may have reached its end, but perhaps in another village, a new Swara is being written right now. Maybe another girl is being silenced, exchanged, punished.

#Pakistan #India #Women