September 25, 2006	Monday	Ramazan 1, 1427

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SWABI, Sept 24: Eight members of a jirga, including a union council nazim, have been booked and arrested on court orders on the charge of handing over a minor girl to a rival party under the custom of Swara.

On Friday, the district and sessions judge had issued the arrest orders on a petition which said the jirga members were instrumental in deciding a dispute according to Swara.

Those arrested are Ghabasni union council nazim Tamraz Bacha, Said Hakim Shah, Sakhawat Shah, Luqman Shah, Burhanullah, Gul Khair, Muhammad Saeed and Hassan Gul. Another two suspects, Sawab Gul and Said Alaf Khan, are reported to be absconding.

The court observed that the jirga members had violated a Supreme Court ruling regarding Swara and they would face penalties.

The judge took notice of the Swara incident while hearing the petition, filed by Shah Husain, against the jirga decision. The case was registered under section 310-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, which prohibits giving a female in badl-i-sulah.

Sources said that a girl was raped allegedly by her fiance Said Alaf Khan and his friend Sawab Gul some time ago. The girl became pregnant and her family forced her to put the blame on some another person, Shah Hussain.

The jirga discussed the matter and reached the conclusion that Said Alaf Khan was the aggrieved party. It decided that a girl be given in Swara and Rs300,000 compensation to Said Alaf Khan.

The jirga ordered that Salma, daughter of Mihrab Khan and a niece of Shah Hussain, be given to Said Alaf Khan.