June 12, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, June 11: Pakistan People’s Party MNA Mir Khazar Khan Bijarani has rejected reports that he took part in a jirga which decided swap marriages of five minor girls to settle a dispute of murder.

Speaking at a news conference at the PPP media office here on Sunday, Mr Bijarani said that being a PPP member, he respected human and women rights, and that the allegations were part of character assassination campaign.

“This is the act of those who face defeat at our hands in every election,” claimed Mr Bijarani.

The MNA, from NA-209 Jacobabad-II, said there was a difference between jirga and reconciliation meeting between some members of the same family.

He said jirgas were held between two different tribes whereas the reconciliation efforts in which he had taken part was a dispute between some members of the same clan called Banglani, to which he himself belonged.

He said the dispute was between Hafiz Qamardin Banglani and Yaar Ali Banglani over a man killed 12 years ago for alleged illicit relations with a woman of the same family. He said he and some other respectable people from the clan had gathered to put an end to the feud.

He said both the parties had agreed to a settlement, included the payment of Rs700,000 to the aggrieved family and Rs120,000 to the family of the woman.

The MNA said that after their reconciliation, both the families had agreed to re-start inter-marriages for strengthening their social bond.

Therefore, they decided to announce the engagement of three girls from one party and one from the other.