MWD-run marriage, family counselling centre takes off

HYDERABAD: The Minorities Welfare Department (MWD)-run family and marriage counselling centre has seen moderate success in terms of providing reconciliatory measures to estranged couples.
The counselling centre was set up last November at the Haj House in Nampally with the intention to provide legal solutions as well as Islamic views so as to expedite reconciliation between couples facing marital discord and feuding families.
Counselling centre committee members said that they have, thus far, registered as many as 25 cases. Out of these, couples have reconciled in five cases. “One of the important things we have observed is that the immediate and extended families usually do not give couples a chance to talk in private, in a one-on-one setting. This is why we leave them in the centre for some time just to speak to each other.Communication between spouses is key. Often communication lapses lead to big misunderstandings,“ said Qazi Ikramullah, convener of the counselling committee. He also serves as the nazir of qazath, or the head of qazis who solemnise marriages. There is a separate room where the couples are given time to talk with no disturbance, he added.
The eight-member committee comprises of noted lawyer Shafiq Rahman Mahajir, lawyer and former corporator Mohsina Parveen, Sabiha Siddiqua from the socio-religious women's organisation Tanzeem-e-Bint-e-Haram, lawyer Md Rafiuddin, scholar of Islam Mufti Sadiq Mohiuddin, formerly with the Islamic seminary Jamia Nizamia and E Ismail, a retired judge.
“We counsel families every Wed nesday and Saturday. It is imperative that these families be met with at least once a fortnight. Following up on the progress is important considering the serious nature of cases in which initially differences seem irreconcilable,“ Qazi Ikramullah said.
If women feel that they cannot voice their problems before the committee, women members are always willing to help, he explained.
“Drunk husbands refusing to discharge responsibility is a common issue. The other is wives insisting that they live separately, away from the man's parents,“ the qazi underscored.But the most serious case the committee has encountered is that of a man who was thrown out of his own house by his wife and children for having lost his job. “The man worked in Saudi Arabia for 25 years but returned recently as he lost his job. His family asked him to leave the house and told him to return only after he is able to contribute monetarily. We have asked him to submit the issue in writing,“ Qazi Ikramullah said.