As far as the National Commission for Minorities is concerned, the dispute surrounding Arif and Gudiya is over — it is glad the issue has been settled according to the Shariat. The National Commission for Women (NCW), however, will go into the issue when it can to see if Gudiya’s wishes were considered.‘‘I give full credit to the three families who have resolved this sad situation in the best possible way and in full accordance with the Shariat,’’ said NCM member Ahmed Rashid Shervani. The NCM, sources said, discussed the incident but after Shervani’s arguments that Gudiya’s was not a unique case, decided not to delve into it.Shervani told Express that during World War II, around 2,000 women faced the same situation as Gudiya who married Taufiq believing Arif, who had gone missing in the Kargil war, was dead. ‘‘According to the Shariat, Gudiya’s second marriage is null and void as her husband is back and since Arif has offered to raise her child too,’’ Shervani said.The NCM is not happy with the unnecessary ‘‘media hype’’ over the issue. The only issue which should concern civil society, he added, is whether Gudiya’s opinion was given enough weightage. ‘‘Some independent women’s groups should speak to Gudiya on this,’’ he said.The NCW, however, has not broached the issue so far as its chairperson, Poornima Advani, and lone Muslim member Nafisa Hussain are away in Manipur. That visit too came three months after protests began over the alleged rape and murder of Manorama Devi.NCW member Nirmala Seetharam, however, said the NCW would ‘‘most likely’’ discuss Gudiya’s plight. The ‘‘incident at Pataudi village’’, she said, had thrown up a ‘‘major issue’’ about women’s rights. ‘‘My concern is that Gudiya had to go through the additional emotional strain when it could imperil her life and even the child’s,’’ she said. For Shervani, however, the dispute is over. ‘‘It’s time Gudia, her husband Arif and her child’s father were left alone,’’ he said.
