Pakistani same-sex couple risk criminal charges
A Pakistani judge today warned two women, one of whom has had sex reassignment surgery, that they risked charges of committing an act of unnatural lust and that their marriage was against both the law and Islam.
The judge was hearing a case that pits the bride's father, who wants to annul the wedding on religious grounds, against the couple, who said they wed to protect the bride from being sold into marriage to pay off her uncle's gambling debts.
The husband, Shumail Raj, 31, first brought the case to the Lahore High Court, appealing for protection from harassment by their relatives. But earlier this month the judge ordered the arrest of Raj and his wife, Shahzina Tariq, 26, for lying in court after Raj claimed she was a man.
Yesterday, Judge Kahawaja Mohammed Sharif warned the couple they could face charges for committing an act of unnatural lust - which carries a penalty of between two years and life in prison - and perjury, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years.
The judge asked them to respond to the allegations at the next hearing on May 25. He also ordered police to arrest the doctor who performed the sex reassignment surgery on Raj and anyone who had sheltered the couple, including a charity worker.
