Pakistani couple arrested for kissing, cuddling in Islamabad

Islamabad: A young Pakistani couple have been arrested for allegedly kissing and cuddling in a car here, a media report said on Monday. The couple, aged around 18-19 years, have been booked for 'obscene acts', an offence punishable with imprisonment for up to three months, or with fine, or both, The Express Tribune reported.

Investigating officer Zulfiqar Ahmed said that police received a complaint on Sunday that the couple were "kissing and cuddling" in a car parked in Islamabad's city centre. Ahmed claimed that the couple were still busy kissing and cuddling when the police reached the spot.

The couple were taken to the Karachi Company Police Station in Islamabad where they were booked and later released on bail, the report said.

Senior police officer Muhammad Basheer also claimed that the couple were "kissing".

Young couples visiting parks and shopping centres in Islamabad are often harassed, blackmailed and extorted by police officials in the conservative Muslim-majority country, the report said. Several officials in the past have been booked for harassing and extorting young couples in public places.