DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A local panchayat (tribal court) forcibly condemned a poor man’s 11-year-old daughter to Vani on Friday (March 7), driving her grief-stricken father to take his own life in despair in Bhagwani Shumali area, the police said.

A police official told Dawn that devastated by the injustice, the girl’s father consumed poisonous pills on Saturday. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The official said before this tragic act, the same panchayat had already extorted Rs700,000 from the poor man.

The incident has sparked outrage among locals, who demanded swift justice from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IGP Zulfiqar Hameed, regional police officer Syed Ashfaq Anwar and Dera district police officer Sajjad Ahmed Shahbazada.

Following orders from Dera RPO, a police team led by ASP Paharpur Ali Hamza registered a case and arrested two of the suspects.

SP Paharpur Gohar Khan said that the girl had been recovered from custody of the accused.

The police said influential figures of Bhagwani Shumali area accused Adil, a poor barber, of dishonouring them because his nephew allegedly spoke to the daughter of Farid, one of the influential figures. Viewing this as an insult, they abducted Adil through Malik Inayatullah and brought him to their dera (guesthouse), where they convened a panchayat.

During this so-called tribal court, Adil was brutally tortured and coerced into signing a stamp paper, agreeing to give up his 11-year-old daughter in Vani as reparation. Shockingly, the accused had already forced Adil to pay Rs700,000 earlier as compensation.

Broken by the trauma, Adil recorded a heartbreaking audio message before taking his own life. In his final words, he named Inayatullah, Farid, and others, pleading for justice and demanding protection for his family and children.

Meanwhile, a woman allegedly killed her husband with the help of her son over a dispute, and buried the body in the courtyard of their house.

The police took the mother and son involved in the incident into custody on Sunday and started an investigation.

A police official said the incident occurred in Awan village within the limits of Bandkorai police station. He said the police had arrested both the suspects.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025