SUKKUR, May 6: Sukkur and Shikarpur police have taken a joint action against the holding of a jirga in a kutcha area village, which decided to give 12 teenage girls in marriage to the boys of their rival families to settle a bloody dispute between two groups of Mahar community.

According to reports, the jirga was chaired by Wadero Mohammad Ibrahim Mahar and was held in the morning on Friday in a village in Bhindo Mahar near Pano Akil.

The jirga holders heard leaders of the warring groups, Malook Mahar and Hasil Mahar, and reached the conclusion that Hasil Mahar group was guilty of killing four people of Malook group in Lakhi Ghulam Shah, Shikarpur district.

The jirga passed the verdict Hasil group would give in marriage 12 girls aged between 13 end 15 to the men of Malook's family within a year and also pay the group Rs250,000 fine paid within two days.

The names of the girls and the men to whom they were to be married and their parents were not disclosed by the jirga.

Sukkur DPO Aitezaz Ahmed Goraya reached the village after receiving information about the jirga and ordered arrests and registration of cases against Ibrahim Mahar, Paryal Mahar and others.

Area police have registered an FIR and arrested Mir Mohammad Mahar, son of Ibrahim Mahar.

Meanwhile, Shikarpur DPO Junaid Shaikh said that he had issued directives to the Lakhi Ghulam Shah police to collect information about the girls and their parents.

He said that he was trying to take the girls into safe custody and produce them in court on Monday to seek court's permission for further action.

Ghous Bux, Hazoor Bux, Sobharo and Achar Mahar of Malook group were killed by armed men of Hasil group in different incidents over the past three years over a dispute involving land and matrimonial matters.

Our Larkana correspondents adds:

A jirga settled a dispute between tribesmen and community people. The dispute had claimed three lives.

Chief of Chandio tribe Sardar Khan Chandio held a jirga on Friday in Qambar to settle the dispute between Chandio tribe and Khuhawar community.

Fatah Khuhawar and Raees Tharo Khan Chandio represented their respective sides.

Sardar Chandio announced the verdict after hearing viewpoints of rival parties. He asked them to jointly ink a peace document for withdrawal of FIRs registered against Chandios.

The jirga fixed Rs4,50,000 for each murdered man - Maqsood Chandio, Nazeer Ahmed Khuhawar - and further ordered both the groups to pay Rs300,000 fine to heirs of Rano Manganhar who was killed in crossfire taking place between Chandios and Khuhawars.