MUZAFFARGARH: Kot Addu police registered a case against 18 people, including members of a panchayat, for being involved in Vani on Thursday.

District Police Officer Awais Ahmad had delayed the first information report (FIR) but Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Sukhera took notice of the incident and ordered the DPO to register the case against the suspects who held the panchayat.

Ashiq Hussain’s son Shakeel had contracted a court marriage with Noreen, a divorcee, last month. A panchayat meeting, headed by Shahid Channar, was called at the outhouse of Hafiz Basheer two days back. The panchayat asked Ashiq to give his daughter, Tahira, as Vani to a relative of Noreen, identified as Shahbaz. Tahira holds a master’s degree and is working in a school as educator. When Ashiq resisted against the decision, he was given threats by the panchayat members.

The affected family had to leave their home and take shelter with a relative in another village. However, the suspects followed them and attacked the house they were living in.

DPO Awais Ahmad said the teams had been constituted to arrest all the suspects nominated in the case.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2016