Father-in-law of Afghan girl whose nose and ears were lopped as punishment arrested

KABUL - The father-in-law of an Afghan teenager, whose nose and ears were hacked off after she fled her husband’s abusive home, has been arrested in the country’s Chora district of central Uruzgan province, and is reportedly being questioned by police in this connection.

Eighteen-year-old Aisha’s nose and ears had been sliced off with the approval of a Taliban commander by her abusive husband as punishment for running away, setting an example for other wives to think twice before trying to escape their abusive in-laws.

The front cover of Time magazine generated debate over the headline “What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan” and over the use of her photo on the cover page.

The BBC quoted Uruzgan’s police chief as saying that Aisha’s father-in-law, Haji Suleman has been detained in a raid in the Chora district last week.

“We did this after a complaint filed by Mohammadzai (Aisha’s father) accusing Haji Suleman for the crime. Haji Suleman is in jail and he is being investigated,” he added.

However Suleman has denied all charges against him and called himself “innocent,” as far as the case is concerned.

“I am innocent. Aisha’s father is accusing me. He had proposed to me to kill her because she had brought shame on him after she fled her house,” he told a cellmate.

Meanwhile Aisha’s father has urged “foreigners” to return back his daughter to him.

“She has been kidnapped by foreigners from my house. I want her back. I cannot live in Uruzgan anymore. Once my daughter is back, I will leave and chose to live somewhere else,” Mohammadzai added.

Aisha, who was reportedly given away by her family in childhood as a “blood debt,” has been living in the US (California) and underwent a reconstructive surgery of her nose and ear. (ANI)