Jirga members, cleric arrested in DI Khan vani case

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The police arrested the jirga members, a cleric and other accused reportedly involved in giving a 15-year-old girl in vani to settle a dispute in Bhumb area in Paharpur tehsil on Tuesday.

The police said that Fauzia Bibi, widow of Ghulam Jaffar, had eloped with one Waseem Abbas, a resident of Paharpur, and run away with him some six months ago. They said after the incident, a Panchayat (jirga) was held at the Hujra of Muhammad Ramzan Lang at Paharpur. They said the elders of the area including, Saeedullah, Sonra Khan, Ramzan, Saqlain, Niaz Ali and others decided to give Fatima Bibi, the sister of Waseem Abbas, to Muhammad Ali, a youth of the rival party, in Vani. It may be mentioned that Ali is the son of widow Fauzia Bibi, who had eloped with Waseem Abbas. Maulvi Asmatullah had solemnized the Nikah on the occasion. Taking notice of the illegal practice, District Police Officer Wahid Mahmood directed Deputy Superintendent of Police, Paharpur, Alamgir Khan and Station House Officer Khanzada to arrest all the accused involved in giving the girl in vani.

The police party raided various places and arrested all the accused and put them behind the bars. Vani is a tradition where young Pakistani women are traded between families in resolution of a dispute. Although outlawed four years ago, vani is still prevalent in conservative pockets across Pakistan.