12 June 2004	Saturday	23 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

KARACHI, June 11: The Sindh High Court asked a petitioner on Friday to seek her remedy against an alleged jirga decision declaring her 'kari' and her husband 'karo' from a sessions court of competent jurisdiction.

Ms Gulshan of village Ramzan Otho, taluka Jati, police station Sujawal, district Thatta, submitted in her petition that she was engaged to her relative Ghulam Rasool Otho but her father, in connivance with the Otho tribal chief, wanted to marry her off for monetary consideration. She left her father's house, appeared before a judicial magistrate and married Ghulam Rasool in April.

The tribal chief, Haji Ashraf Otho, the petitioner alleged, convened a jirga, which asked her father-in-law to pay Rs 100,000 as 'sardari fine' and give two girls in marriage. He was threatened with seizure of all his assets if the jirga decision was flouted.

Her in-laws were summoned by the Thatta district police office and asked why they were not complying with the jirga order. Usman, her husband's uncle, was taken into custody.

An FIR under the Zina Ordinance has been registered against her and her mother has been detained. She said there was a threat to her mother's life as the union council and district nazim had joined hands with the tribal chief.

Taluka police officer and the SHO of Sujawal denied most of the allegations. The SHO, however, confirmed that an FIR against Ghulam Rasool and three others was registered for abducting Ms Gulshan on the complaint her father's cousin on May 10. The case has since been investigated and a charge-sheet submitted in a court.

Justice Ataur Rahman, who heard the petition, disposed it of with the observation that it involved a factual controversy and the proper forum for resolving it was the sessions court. The petitioner was asked to appear before the sessions court.