LAHORE, Pakistan: The Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of another incident of Jirga justice in Rahim Yar Khan district where local Jirga ordered for a marriage of a 11-year-old girl with a 80-year-old-man.
It is pertinent to mention here that Jirga (council of elders of area) justice system has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
According to details, father of the girl (name withheld) Ashraf Khokhar told journalists that he was forced by Jirga (council of elders of area) to marry his 11-year-old daughter with an 80-year-old man as punishment because his father (father of Ashraf Khokhar) and grandfather of girl had entered into a love marriage with a woman of family of 80-year-old man (name withheld).
The news of this marriage spread in private television channels and the Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif was informed about this illegal act. The Chief Minister directed the local police to take action against father of the girl as well as all members of Jirga.
Women and girls are always use as collateral in such local justice system in Pakistan, as recently a 12-year-old girl was raped on the orders of a local Jirga in Multan division. The Supreme Court of Pakistan took a notice of the incident and all members of Jirga including those who had raped the girl were arrested and are still in judicial lockup.
According to the initial information, the father of girl claimed that he had informed the local police to intervene to stop forced marriage of his daughter with a 80-year-old man but police did not take any action, and said that it was a family dispute and Jirga had power to decide the punishment.
Police told father of the girl that the custom Vani was very old in Rahim Yar Khan and police could not take any action against Vani.
It may be mentioned that Vani or Swara, is a cultural custom whereby a young girl is forcibly married as part of punishment for a crime committed by her male relatives.
