MIANWALI, Dec 21: Awareness regarding vani laws among the rural women has saved a 15-year-old girl from being traded in compensation marriage by a punchayat or village council in Kukranwala, a village near Kalabagh. A young man, of the village, however, has been sent to forced exile in pursuance of tribal customs, Dawn has learnt.

The punchayat sat on Thursday (Dec 18) to settle the matter of Khurrum Abbas, 22, who was caught while meeting a married girl (I) of the village at her house.

The 16-year-old girl was married to 62-year-old man against her will.

She was staying at her parents as she does not want to live with her husband.

As per the decision of the punchayat, which also included councillor Syed Noor, the 15-year-old sister (R) of Khurrum would be married to Shaukat, the brother of I as vani.

The decision was announced on Thursday and the vani girl was to be handed over to the groom on Friday.

The situation changed when Tehsin, an educated woman of the village and also an official of NGO Karwan Community Development Organisation informed her boss about the commitment.

The head of the NGO spoke to the parties threatening them to stop vani or he would report the matter to police.

This forced the punchayat to desist from doing vani. The punchayat, however, ruled Khurrum would not return to the village unless the estranged girl (I) settle with her aged husband.

LOADSHEDDING: Taking suo-motu note of 18-hour unscheduled power shutdown in the district, Mianwali District and Sessions Judge Sohail Nasir summoned the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company officers on Monday (today) to explain the reason.