Three arrested after jirgah orders accused to give two minor daughters under 'vani'

QAMBAR: Three people were arrested Tuesday after a jirgah — or tribal elders' council — they were part of ordered a murder accused to offer up two of his minor daughters under the 'vani' tradition (forced child marriage) and pay a fine of Rs6 million.

According to senior superintendent of police (SSP) for Qambar, Kamran Nawaz Panjotha, the jirgah in the Qambar Shahdadkot district was headed by the former deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Allah Warayo Chandio.

The jirgah, while reading out a ruling to the murder accused, Ali Hasan Chandio of the Chandio tribe, said he was to provide two of his daughters in marriage to the family of the deceased and also pay up Rs6 million to them.

Police, upon receiving the information, registered a first information report (FIR) and conducted a raid, arresting three members of the tribal elders' council. An investigation over the matter was initiated, police said.

On the other hand, former DSP Allah Warayo Chandio denied being the jirgah leader and said he did not organise it. Opponents were trying to spread baseless propaganda, he maintained in a video statement, adding that ever since he joined the Chandio Tamandar Council, his rivals were spreading such kind of propaganda.

Chandio, the alleged jirgah leader, further added that he had earlier filed a case against his opponents in the Larkana bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC).