LAHORE, June 8: The Asr Resource Centre has appealed to the president, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan to save four minor girls of Jacobabad proposed to be married to rivals’ men under vani custom on the decision of two jirgas (local court).

Asr spokesman Sajid Ali said in a statement jirgas headed by MNA Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Thhal Talqa nazim Ghulam Akbar Banglani had decided to give hands of girls of two to six years of age and payment of Rs400,000 as compensation to the families of the murdered people in Hafiz Qamaruddin Banglani and Kamal Magsi villages under vani. The decisions were a serious violation of human rights and law of the land as the girls had been punished without committing any crime.

He said the decisions taken by the jirgas were a challenge to the government and the judiciary and the MNA and nazim had no right to be called as public representatives. “The government should take notice of the unlawful and inhuman decision and impose a ban on the jirgas which were being instrumental in continuation of customs of vani and karo kari.” —Reporter