MARDAN: Police claimed on Saturday to have foiled an attempt to marry off an 11-year-old girl to a boy of the rival family as swara and arrested 11 persons from the rival groups, including two jirga members.

Police sources said a team led by SHO Takhtbai Fazil Khan raided a house in Anwar Kotay locality of Pir Abad following creditable information about the forced marriage of a minor girl with a 13-year-old body, belonging to rival family as swara -- a Pakhtun tradition to make reconciliation between rival families.

The police preliminary investigation revealed that a 17-year-old sister of the groom had eloped with brother of the bride a few months back and both had married with each other without consent of their families.

However, a jigra of local elders made reconciliation and decided that minor sister of the fleeing boy would be married off to the brother of the fleeing sister as swara. Besides, it decided that family of swara girl would pay Rs600,000 as compensation to the other family. The arrested persons included jirga members Pir Junaid and Abdullah, Syed Shah, Qabil Shah, Mukhtaram Shah, Hakim Shah, Umar Shah, Hussain Shah, Faizullah, Zainullah and a woman.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2016