LARKANA, May 27: Legislators of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) said on Sunday that they would raise voice in national and provincial assemblies against a jirga verdict to hand over two minor girls in marriage as compensation to settle a ‘karo-kari’ dispute.

The PPP leaders, Ayaz Soomro, Anwar Bhutto, Hizbullah Bughio, Ghulam Mujtaba Isran, Mushtaque Chandio and Ms Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto visited the Miandad Chandio village, some 70 kilometres off here to meet the family of the girls.

They said that it was quite unfortunate that the landlords were holding such jirgas under the nose of the government and in utter violation of the Sindh High Court’s decision, thrusting their verdicts on the poor.

Asghar and Niaz Mirjat, fathers of minor girls, and Aijaz Mirjat, uncle, told the delegation that their brother Ibrahim Mirjat was implicated in a false case of ‘karo-kari’ about a year ago.

And the influential landlords Raees Hassan Jat and Umar (Attur) Jat in a jirga decided that four-year-old Farzana, daughter of Asghar Mirjat, and three-year-old Tasleem, daughter of Niaz Mirjat, should be handed over to the complainant (Deedar Mirjat) as compensation along with Rs0.1 million as a fine to settle the issue.

When they refused to accept the jirga’s verdict they got more than a dozen people of their tribe booked at the Hamal police station in a case about theft of 4,000 kilograms of wheat.

They said that they had to migrate to the Miandad Chandio village in Dadu district to escape the wrath of landlords and police. They were receiving threats and being forced to accept the jirga’s decision, they said.

The PPP leaders advised the family to file a direct petition at the Sindh High Court against the jirga verdict and cancellation of false case on Monday.