Girl murdered on decree of jirga over viral video

MANSEHRA: A girl was allegedly killed and another rescued by the police after their video went viral on social media in Kolai-Palas district on Sunday.

It was learnt that the incident happened in the Barsharyal village of Palas where a girl was killed allegedly by her family on the decree of a local jirga.

The boys, who could be seen in videos, had gone into hiding since the footage went viral some four days ago.

The police shifted the body to a nearby health facility and handed it over to her family after doctors carried out the medico-legal formalities there.

“One of two girls whose video had gone viral on social media has been killed and police rescued and shifted the other to local magistrate for recording her statement,” Deputy Superintendent of Police, Palas, Masood Khan told reporters.

He said the girl produced before the local magistrate in her statement stated she felt no threat to her life by her family and wanted to go with them instead of Darul Aman.

The cop said the SHO of the Palas police station lodged a first information report of the murder on his own under sections 302/311 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. “We have launched an investigation to trace those who killed the girl and who either advised or convened a jirga and sentenced her to death,” he said.

The DSP said that nobody was above the law and all those involved in brutal killing would be taken to justice at any cost.

The jirga in such murders executed in the name of honour declares men and women as culprits and eliminates them.

In one such infamous Kohistan video scandal, five women clapping at the dance of a man were killed in 2013.

Four brothers of the dancing man were killed and two others are still facing the murder decree. The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s then chief justice in 2013 had taken suo moto notice of the case.