Pak police foil notorious 'Jirga' dictate of 'Karo Kari'

Muzaffargarh (Pakistan): The police in Muzaffargarh area of Punjab province have foiled an attempt to kill a woman and her child through an illegal 'Jirga', in which elders of the area sentenced a woman to death under the notorious custom of 'Karo Kari'.

As per details, an illegal tribal Jirga in Muzaffaragarh declared a women as 'Kari' and decided to kill her along with her newborn child.

Allegedly, the woman's paramour was killed in another city named Taunsa, which forced the victim to take refuge in Jhang to save herself and her six-day-old baby.

Police sources confirmed to IANS that a man named Noor Shah was sentenced to death by a Jirga in the same case and was killed in June this year. The same Jirga decided to kill the woman and her newborn child under similar judgment.

The police have filed an FIR under Sections 310-A, 506-B (punishment for criminal intimidation, if threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, etc), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offense committed in prosecution of common object) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

As per the FIR, at least six names have surfaced, who were allegedly involved in the illegal Jirga proceedings and its judgments.

"Two of the six suspects named in the FIR have been arrested and the woman, who has nine kids, has been provided protection," said a police officer.

The police said that the victim woman, Jarna Bibi, had married Maqam Khan 18 years ago and since then the couple had six sons and three daughters.

Maqam's brother Kala Khan later accused his brother's wife of having illicit relations with a man named Noor Shah, who was killed in June after the Jirgah's decision.