HRCP seeks strict curb on jirga system
KARACHI, June 17 2006: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday demanded stern action against those holding jirgas in Shikarpur and Jacobabad.In a press release issued here on Thursday, it condemned the decree issued by a jirga under which parties in dispute were made to give away girls of their families to each other for marriage. It criticised certain elected representatives and influential feudal lords for patronising or being part of such jirgas. It pointed out that the holding of jirgas was a gross violation of the judiciary’s order.
The HRCP statement recalled that on May 31, one Imdad Sethar and his cousin Mohammad Ramzan Sethar had a dispute involving 11 buffaloes. The case pertained to Lukhi Ghulam Shah taluka of Shikarpur district. Ramzan had failed to pay off the amount being the value of the 11 buffaloes to Imdad, owner of the buffaloes. Finally, the case was heard by the local jirga which ordered Ramzan to give away his two daughters in compensation. The man was made to sign documents for the hand over his nine-year-old Heer and one-year-old Karima to Imdad within the next three days.
Ghulam Mustafa, Abdul Raheem, Ali Gohar, Qamber, Aziz, Nizam, Khawand Bux and Haider, acted as witness to the agreement. According to the press release, due to the efforts by HRCP activists, a court in Shikarpur stopped the marriage of the minor girls. During the last week of the same month, another jirga was held and it was headed by PPP MNA Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Nazim of Thul taluka Akber Banglani and Pir Bharchoondi Mian Abdul Khalique. The jirga settled a decade-old feud between two rival groups by ordering handing over of five minor girls — four-year-old Basheeran, seven-year-old Aman, eight-year-old Shahzadi, five-year-old Noor Bano and five-year-old Maryam in compensation.
The HRCP deplored that jirgas in Sindh were being encouraged by the provincial government to strengthen feudal system and weaken the country’s recognised legal system and judiciary.–PPI
Source: Dawn
Date:6/17/2006
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