A BLACKBURN dad has been banned from going near his family after launching a campaign of harassment when his daughter refused to marry her cousin.

Earlier this year Aurang Zeb was the first person in the country to be made subject to a Forced Marriage Protection Order to prevent him taking daughter Rozina Akhtar abroad to marry.

And yesterday he was brought back before court for harrassing his wife Parveen Akhtar, daughter and son Nasir Khan in the continuing fallout over Rozina’s decision not to wed to his brother’s son.

Blackburn magistrates were told Zeb, 43, of Whalley New Road, Blackburn, felt he had been shamed, but that if his daughter changed her mind his ‘honour and respect’ would be restored.

He bombarded his family with phone calls, stalked them and, on one occasion, rang his wife and said he was going to kill her and cut her tongue out, the court heard.

Zeb, who left his family living in fear, was yesterday given a restraining order which prevents him from having any contact with his family for an indefinite period.

The magistrates were told that despite the Forced Marriages order Zeb harassed his family and, despite moving out of the family home, continued to try and rule their lives through threats and intimidation.

After the case, Detective Inspector Claire Holbrook said: " I hope this sends a very clear message that police and the courts treat this type of crime very seriously and we will use everything in our power to protect victims who are in fear of being forced into a marriage.”

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Zeb and his wife had married 24 years ago.

“Mrs Akhtar was told she had no choice and the defendant was brought over from Pakistan and she was forced to marry him,” said Miss Allan. “She says she has never loved him but he was a good father to the children.”

Miss Allan said the only real issue was the marriage of their daughter Rozina to the defendant’s brother’s son.

“Rozina would not entertain that idea and Mrs Akhtar backed her daughter,” said Miss Allan. “Because she had been forced into a marriage and disagreed with the process she was not going to let her daughter go through the same.”

Zeb said Rozina had no choice and that she and his wife were ‘dishonouring’ his name, Miss Allan said.

“He said his standing in the community would be affected and he wouldn’t be able to go out in public because of what people would say about him,” said Miss Allan. “He said they had shamed him and dragged his name through the mud. He kept saying that if Rozina would change her mind and marry her cousin his honour and respect would be restored.”

Zeb moved out of the family home but then made repeated phone calls asking if Rozina had changed her mind.

He moved back in August but then left again and began stalking his family.

The court heard Zeb started making abusive and threatening phone calls and seemed to know where Mrs Akhtar had been and who she had been speaking to.

He made threats via his son, who was working for him, to both Mrs Akhtar and her daughter. He accused his wife of having an affair and said he would kill the man.

He also said he knew his daughter had a boyfriend in Bradford.

Miss Allan said: “Mrs Akhtar got her son to record a conversation with her husband in which he talked about killing people and how he would only get five to seven years.

“The whole family were scared of what he might do and Mrs Akhtar says she had to check all the doors and windows were locked at night before she could go to sleep.”

Zeb pleaded guilty to harassing his wife, daughter and son. He was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work made subject to community supervision for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 costs. The magistrates also made a restraining order which prevents him from having any contact with his family for an indefinite period.

Despite Zeb being subject to a Forced Marriages Protection Order, Zeb’s defence solicitor Basharat Ditta told the court his daughter’s proposed marriage was an arranged marriage not a ‘cruel and improper’ forced marriage.

Mr Ditta said that while Rozina was on holiday in Pakistan two years earlier she was introduced to her cousin and it was suggested marriage was appropriate, which she accepted.

He said: “There was a two-year gap by which time Rozina had moved on and didn’t want to continue with the arrangement.

“He is a traditional Asian male who has certain traditions he seeks to uphold.

"His children have grown up in a Western society and this has lead to conflict.”

Order was ‘first in the country’

THE Forced Marriage Protection Order obtained against Aurang Zeb was the first issued in the country.

The powers were brought in on November 24, 2008, with new legislation designed to protect victims of forced marriage.

Under the act, an order will contain terms that are designed to protect the victim in their particular circumstances.

This can include the requirement to hand over passports, to stop intimidation and violence, to reveal the whereabouts of a person and to stop someone being taken abroad.

The order against Zeb prevented him taking her abroad. He was warned that he would go to jail if he broke its terms.

The powers threw the spotlight on forced marriage.

Scores of people contact Lancashire police each month with concerns about forced marriages.

Often they say they have been threatened with violence if they refuse to go through with the wedding.

Forced and arranged marriages

Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, explained the difference between a forced and an arranged marriage.

He said the absence of choice was key, and forced marriage came with pressure and, sometimes, threats of violence.

Coun Mulla said: “This needs to be clear: Islam forbids forced marriages.

"Arranged marriage is a marriage where the couple are happy to marry, but their parents make the arrangements.

“My marriage was an arranged one. I wanted to marry her and my family approached her parents. We have been married for 33 years.

“My daughter’s marriage was arranged as well.

“I would say to members of the community that a boy and a girl should have a choice of who they want to marry as they will be spending the rest of their lives together.”