MULTAN, Oct 31: Another panchayat-enforecd vani case has surfaced in south Punjab in which a 12-year-old girl is to pay the price of the sin of her elder brother. Reports said Ghulam Mustafa of and Shamim Akhter, 18, hailing from rural area of Murtazabad in Rahim Yar Khan district, arranged a court marriage in Karachi in May last.

The family of girl called a punchayat a month and a half ago reportedly at the Dera of Makhdoom Alamdar Hussain Hashimi, former RYK tehsil nazim. The nazim decided that Ghulam Mustafa would divorce Shamim Akhter. His family would pay Rs 60,000 in compensation to the family of Shamim Akhter. Mustafa’s sister Kalsoom, 12, would wed Noor Muhammad, brother of Shamim Akhtar. To ensure that the Kulsoom would be married to Noor when she attained puberty, a piece of two acres land would be pledged by Mustafa.

When contacted, the nazim denied hosting the punchayat. “It was held at union council nazim Rais Abdul Aziz Chachar’s house and all decisions were taken there.”

He said that both the parties had visited him because the family of Shamim Akhter was threatening to kill the family of Ghulam Mustafa and he had advised them to settle the matter amicably. Sultan Ahmed Chaudhray, the RYK district police officer, said that police were investigating the mater.