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Friday, July 12, 2013
SC directs govt to act against illegal jirgasISLAMABAD: Declaring vani and swara inhuman customary practices, the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday ordered IGPs of all provinces and Islamabad to take action against illegal jirgas. The SC made this observation while hearing a suo motu case in which a jirga in Rajanpur had awarded an inhuman punishment to a man. A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, said that federal and provincial governments should raise awareness among people about their basic rights. According to media reports, a jirga in Rajanpur had told Noor Hassan to pass a bizarre test to prove his innocence in the murder of a man, Imtiaz Hussain. The test was that Hassan had to remain submerged in a 10-foot-deep crater filled with water, until the time another man had taken 60 steps. Hassan could not hold his breath for that long, and came out of the water before time. The man on the surface had walked just 52 steps by that time. The jirga declared Hassan guilty and announced that he would marry three women from his family in vani or else pay Rs 1 million to the rival party. The jirga also said that Hassan would be murdered if he failed to implement its orders. Later, police arrested jirga chief Mir Hazara and his brother and recovered Hassan from Hajipur area. The Rajanpur SDPO informed the bench that police had arrested nine accused in the case and recovered the victim. The chief justice said that police swung into action after news of this inhuman punishment was aired on two private TV channels. The CJP said that no such jirga should be held and if that happens then police would be held responsible. hasnaat malik
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk