Sindh Inspector General A.D. Khowaja on Tuesday took notice of the death of a woman who reportedly committed suicide in Sindh's Ghotki district after allegedly being forced into an exchange marriage by a jirga.

The incident took place six days ago, in Obaro area of Ghotki, when the girl — who refused to marry her suitor — not only drank poison herself but also poisoned her parents.

According to the police, a few weeks prior to the incident, the girl's elder brother had contracted a freewill marriage.

A police official told Dawn that after the brother's marriage, the village jirga ruled that the man will have to compensate for the action by giving his sister into marriage to his in-laws, and also pay a fine of Rs1 million.

The girl ended up killing herself after ingesting poison, while the police say that her parents are hospitalised in Karachi, and are said to be in critical condition.

Khowaja, while taking notice of the police's lacklustre response in the matter, ordered Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ghotki Kamran Nawaz to submit a detailed report on the matter at the earliest.

He also ordered that measures be taken for the affected family's security and that all possible cooperation be extended to them in legal matters.

Furthermore, the police were instructed to carry out a thorough investigation against all perpetrators involved in the incident and register a case against the jirga chief as soon as possible.

No case had been registered at the time this story was filed.

With additional reporting by Imtiaz Ali.