Pakistan police arrest three after father commits suicide over forced marriage of minor girl
PESHAWAR: Police have arrested three suspects and members of a local Panchayat (village council) in connection with the forced marriage of a minor girl under Vani, a tribal custom used to settle feuds, in a remote area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a senior police official and a local elder.
The incident, which took place in the Bhagwani Shumali area of Paharpur, the main town in Dera Ismail Khan district, involved an 11-year-old girl from a low-income family being forcibly given in marriage to resolve a dispute last Friday.
Vani is an illegal practice where minor girls are handed over as compensation in cases involving murder or allegations of illicit relations.
Gohar Ali, Superintendent of Police (SP) for the Paharpur region, told Arab News that police acted swiftly upon receiving audio messages from the girl’s father, whom he identified only by his first name, Adil, and who died by suicide following the Panchayat’s decision.
Adil, a local barber, ingested poisonous pills after recording distressing audio messages naming the accused.
“The police immediately launched raids, rescued the minor girl and handed her over to her family,” the police officer said. “Three main suspects identified by the deceased person have been arrested, along with two members of the Panchayat. Additionally, Rs600,000 [$2,144] extorted from Adil by the makeshift council has been recovered,” the police officer added.
Malik Inayatullah, a local elder and chairman of the village peace committee, told Arab News he witnessed how the entire incident unfolded.
“The deceased left behind six daughters, including the one given to the rival family under the custom of Vani, and had no male child,” he said.
“The decision of the Panchayat is regretful,” Inayatullah continued. “It has not only robbed a young girl of her future but also cost her father his life. We have already extended our support to the girl’s family and will provide all possible help to rebuild their lives.”
The local elder said the dispute began when a local landlord accused Adil’s nephew of having illicit relations with the daughter of an influential figure in the area.
The latter convened the Panchayat before abducting Adil, subjecting him to torture and forcing him to sign a stamp paper agreeing to give his daughter in Vani to settle the matter.
“Neither Adil nor any villagers reported the incident to the police [on time], which could have prevented this tragic outcome,” police officer Ali said.
He said police were now investigating the case from multiple angles to ensure justice is served to the aggrieved family.
