August 28, 2007	Tuesday	Sha’aban 14, 1428

LAYYAH, Aug 27: Allah Diwaya, a handicapped man, along with his wife, two daughters and four sons, has been living under the open sky for the last three days, after the family was ordered to leave their native Chak 393-TDA by a punchayat (village jury) for an alleged offence committed by a 15-year-old boy.

Reports said Allah Ditta (15), son of Allah Diwaya, was engaged to one Shazia Bibi in childhood. Later, Shazia’s father decided to engage her to Imran, son of an influential man of the area.

A few days after, Chowk Azam police registered a case of attempted murder against Allaha Ditta for attacking Imarn with a knife. Imran’s family alleged that as Allah Ditta harboured grudge against Imran for being engaged to his childhood fiancée, he tried to kill his rival.

As if it was not enough, Imran’s father convened a punchayat on Aug 24 and put the matter before it. The punchayat ordered expulsion of Allah Diwaya’s family from the village asking them to leave the place before August 28 or pay the punchayat Rs500,000.

Unable to pay the `fine’ amount and pressurised by jury members, Allah Diwaya shifted his family and belongings to Chak No 420-TDA and was now forced to live on government’s land under open sky, some three Kilometres away from his native village.

Diwaya’s wife Naziran Bibi, his daughters Sumaira and Ruqayya and sons Allah Ditta, Muhammad Mithoo, Roshan and Mohsin told Dawn that they had to leave their house as they feared maltreatment at the hands of the influential punchayat members.

Diwaya said the punchayat members took an undertaking from him that in case of not leaving the village he would pay the fine amount to them and a guarantor was also involved in the matter to implement the decision..

The punchayat head, Manzoor Hussain Juta, had no qualms saying the decision had been taken in accordance with the local traditions and it would be implemented at any cost. He admitted the punchayat had no solid evidence to prove that Allah Ditta actually attacked Imran. “As we knew the girl (Shazia) was engaged to him in the past, we got registered an FIR against Allah Ditta,” Manzoor said.

The other punchayat members were Ghulam Hussain, Bashir Ahmed and Allah Rakha, while Khursheed Ahmed was the guarantor.

Village residents Nazar Hussain, Maqsood Ahmed, Ameer Muhammad, Ghulam Yasin, Haq Nawaz and Ramzan said the poor family was being punished for the crime which they had not committed.

They appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to ensure provision of justice to the poor family and take punchayat members to the task for giving illegal verdict.