MANSEHRA: Police arrested five persons in Pulash area on Sunday for trying to give two sisters in vani to settle a feud between two families.

The arrested persons included jirga members and father of the girls. “We have recovered two sisters, who were being given to the rival family in vani to settle an enmity,” DSP Salman Khan told journalists.

He said that the arrested people attended a jirga that issued a decree about handing over the girls to the rival party. He said that a joint team of Mansehra and Oghi police raided at a house in Pulrah and recovered Gulnaz and her younger sister Saeeda, who were being handed over to rival party. Mr Khan said that a woman had married Mohammad Arif of her free without the consent of her parents. However, they were separated on the pressure of their families after some time of their marriage, he added.

The official said that a jirga was summoned to settle the feud and the jirga members decided that the family of Mohammad Arif would pay Rs350,000 to the family of his former wife as compensation. The jirga members also demanded two girls of Mr Arif’s family in vani to settle the dispute, he added. Mr Khan said that though local prayer leader Maulana Israr, who led the jirga, opposed handing over of the two girls to rival party and left the jirga.

The official said that despite Maulana Israr resistance the other members of jirga decided to hand over the girls to rival family. “We raided when nikah was being solemnised and recovered the two girls and arrested five persons,” he said.

The official said that the girls would be sent to shelter house in Abbottabad.