LARKANA, May 20: Qambar’s Mirjat family continues to reject a jirga verdict to hand over two minor girls as compensation in a karo-kari dispute.

In a new development, Ms Samar Minallah, advocate of the Supreme Court and executive director of the NGO Ethno Media Development, contacted the family through Thul-based journalist Sarmad Kunrani on Saturday. Ms Minallah wants to produce the minors before the Supreme Court on May 22 and 23 to seek relief.

Confirming the contact, Mr Kunrani told Dawn that he had talked to Asghar Mirjat and the family had agreed to travel to Islamabad. He added that three identical cases concerning adults Ms Kariman Sarki and Ms Buzrigo Brohi, and 4-year-old Safeeran Solangi from Thul, would also be taken to Islamabad on the same day.

Meanwhile, a messenger was sent to Hamal village with the offer that the jirga verdict concerning fine money can be reduced from Rs100,000 to Rs 60,000, though the decision about the hand-over of the girls will remain intact. Asghar and Niaz Mirjat have rejected the offer.

The investigation wing of the Hamal police force is reportedly putting pressure on the family of the minor girls to accept the jirga verdict, threatening that they will otherwise be implicated as absconders in the wheat theft case.

Deedar and Sher Mirjat, who are in the opposite camp, talking to journalists in Warah town, claimed that they had demanded two adult women – not minors – in compensation.